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FBI demotes two counterterrorism officials after Katie Miller harassment inquiry

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (60%).

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Two FBI Washington Field Office counterterrorism officials, Michael Burgwald and his deputy Courtland Rae, were demoted and reassigned to FBI headquarters on Friday, according to multiple reports. The demotions followed an investigation into allegedly harassing phone calls received by Katie Miller, a conservative podcaster married to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. A field office team reviewed the calls but concluded they did not meet the threshold for an FBI investigation and found no connection to terrorism, CNN reported. That conclusion reportedly caused friction with FBI leadership. Darren Cox, the Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington field office, told the Daily Mail that FBI Director Kash Patel did not order the decision. Both officials had years of national security experience and had worked on the January 6 investigation.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Michael Burgwald and his deputy Courtland Rae were demoted and reassigned to FBI headquarters on Friday.

    Reported byLeftRight

  2. The demotions followed a dispute over an investigation into allegedly harassing phone calls made to Katie Miller.

    Reported byLeftRight

  3. A field office team determined the calls did not meet the threshold for an FBI investigation and found no terrorism connection.

    Reported byLeft

  4. FBI Director Kash Patel did not order the demotions, according to the Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington field office.

    Reported byRight

  5. Both demoted officials had prior experience investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

    Reported byLeft

  6. Katie Miller is a conservative podcaster married to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

    Reported byLeftRight

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • Whether FBI Director Kash Patel or the White House directed the demotions.

    The Daily Mail reports an FBI official saying Patel 'did not order this decision,' while The Independent's excerpt states 'Stephen Miller and Kash Patel were upset that the two FBI agents questioned the legitimacy of the investigation,' implying their involvement; Salon reports the White House says the agents stifled the investigation.

  • Whether the harassment calls to Katie Miller constituted 'very serious threats' warranting a terrorism investigation.

    Salon's headline quotes an unnamed characterization of 'very serious threats,' while the excerpted reporting from multiple outlets says the FBI team determined the calls did not meet the threshold for an investigation and found no terrorism connection.

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left-leaning outlets frame the demotions as retaliation tied to Katie Miller and the White House, with the farthest-left outlet using mocking language about her reaction while mainstream left outlets stick to describing the agents' actions and demotions.

    “Vague attribution“Very serious threats”The characterization of the calls as 'very serious threats' is presented in quotes without clear attribution within the headline, framing a contested claim as fact.More neutral: Threats investigationThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?”: FBI officials demoted after Katie Miller theats probe
    SalonFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    2 outlets

    The right-leaning outlet frames the story around agents 'balking' at an 'odd' request, emphasizing official denials of top-down direction.

    DHS: Two FBI Agents Removed After 'Stifling' Investigation into 'Very Serious Threats' Made to Katie Miller
    Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left2

    MAGA darlingDiva Tantrum

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    MAGA darlingMore neutral: wife of White House official Stephen Miller

    A dismissive partisan label that pre-judges the subject rather than identifying her neutrally.

    MAGA darling Katie Miller wasn’t happy with the FBI agents investigating threats against her.

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

  • Loaded modifier

    Diva TantrumMore neutral: complaint

    Characterizes Katie Miller's reaction in a mocking, judgmental way rather than describing it neutrally.

    Katie Miller’s Diva Tantrum Got Top FBI Officials Demoted

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Vague attribution

    Quoted

    Very serious threatsMore neutral: Threats investigation

    The characterization of the calls as 'very serious threats' is presented in quotes without clear attribution within the headline, framing a contested claim as fact.

    “Very serious threats”: FBI officials demoted after Katie Miller theats probe

    Quoted bySalon (Far Left)

    Inside a quotation: the outlets are reporting someone else’s words.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • agents' national security credentials
  • the harassment calls not meeting FBI's terrorism threshold
  • alleged friction with FBI/White House leadership

Leaves out

  • Kash Patel's denial that he ordered the decision

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • SalonFar Left

    “Vague attribution“Very serious threats”The characterization of the calls as 'very serious threats' is presented in quotes without clear attribution within the headline, framing a contested claim as fact.More neutral: Threats investigationThis appears inside a quotation. The outlet is reporting someone else’s words.Disagree with this highlight?”: FBI officials demoted after Katie Miller theats probe

    The White House says two agents stifled the investigation, but CNN reports their team found no terrorism center

    Read at Salon (opens in a new tab)
  • The IndependentLeft

    Two veteran FBI counterterrorism leaders demoted after declining to investigate harassing phone calls to Katie Miller

    According to reports, Stephen Miller and Kash Patel were upset that the two FBI agents questioned the legitimacy of the investigation

    Read at The Independent (opens in a new tab)
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Katie Miller’s Loaded modifier“Diva Tantrum”Characterizes Katie Miller's reaction in a mocking, judgmental way rather than describing it neutrally.More neutral: complaintDisagree with this highlight? Got Top FBI Officials Demoted

    Loaded modifier“MAGA darling”A dismissive partisan label that pre-judges the subject rather than identifying her neutrally.More neutral: wife of White House official Stephen MillerDisagree with this highlight? Katie Miller wasn’t happy with the FBI agents investigating threats against her. Now they’re being demoted. Michael Burgwald, the FBI’s Washington field office counterterrorism chief, and his deputy, Courtland Rae, were demoted and reassigned to positions at FBI …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

  • FBI Director's denial of involvement
  • agents' decorated status
  • official statement from field office leadership

Leaves out

  • the specific finding that the calls did not meet the terrorism threshold
  • Burgwald and Rae's January 6 investigation history

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    DHS: Two FBI Agents Removed After 'Stifling' Investigation into 'Very Serious Threats' Made to Katie Miller

    Two veteran Washington, DC, FBI agents have been reassigned over their handling of a probe involving threats made to conservative podcaster Katie Miller, the wife of senior White House adviser Stephen Miller, CNN claimed in a report late Saturday.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
  • Daily MailRight

    FBI demotes two decorated counter-terror agents after they balked at 'odd' request involving wife of Trump aide Stephen Miller

    Darren Cox, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington field office, told the Daily Mail on Saturday night that FBI Director Kash Patel 'did not order this decision.'

    Read at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    The Daily Beast, Sep 26, 9:18 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    3 hr 34 min later

    Its first report, Sep 27, 12:53 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. The Daily BeastFar LeftSep 26, 9:18 PM EDT
  2. Daily MailRightSep 27, 12:53 AM EDT
  3. The IndependentLeftSep 27, 11:10 AM EDT
  4. Breitbart NewsFar RightSep 27, 2:05 PM EDT
  5. SalonFar LeftSep 27, 3:00 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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