A federal judge has thrown out a defamation lawsuit filed by FBI Director Kash Patel against a blogger who accused him of being a “Kremlin asset.”
Patel filed the lawsuit against Jim Stewartson in June 2023 in a Nevada court. Patel sought $10 million in damages after the blogger suggested the former MAGA podcaster had tried to “overthrow the government” and helped plan the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021.
In court filings, Patel cited a series of X posts that he claimed defamed him. These included Stewartson accusing Patel of “sedition,” suggesting he had “helped ensure the Capitol was undefended” ahead of the Jan. 6 riot, and calling Patel a “blatantly incompetent chud” who should be in custody.
The phrase “chud” is a derogatory term used to describe MAGA supporters, as well as to attack their physical appearances.
Patel and the Kash Foundation were awarded $250,000 in compensatory and punitive damages in August 2025 in connection with the lawsuit. Federal Judge Andrew Gordon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada issued the default judgment because Stewartson did not respond to the lawsuit.
Stewartson later moved to have the case dismissed, arguing that he was never properly served and had no meaningful ties to Nevada.
Judge Gordon ruled in Stewartson’s favor in a July 25 decision dismissing the case, referencing the numerous insults Stewartson hurled at Patel online, including one calling him a “Googly-eyed Kremlin b---h.”
“The plaintiffs’ allegations arise out of Stewartson’s allegedly defamatory posts on X and Substack, which are about the plaintiffs, who are Nevadan residents. They allege that Stewartson’s X followers include Nevada residents and that he tagged Patel, a Nevadan resident, but they do not allege that Stewartson interacted with or tagged his Nevadan followers in relation to the allegedly defamatory posts,” Gordon wrote.
“Tagging Patel, who happens to be a Nevadan resident, in posts that have nothing to do with Nevada activities or entities does not target a Nevadan audience, and therefore does not create a contact between Stewartson and Nevada.”
Stewartson celebrated the ruling in a series of posts on X while continuing to ridicule the FBI director.
“PSA: Now that my case is settled, you are free to refer to Kash Patel as a ‘chud,’ a ‘googly-eyed Kremlin b---h,’ and a ‘traitor’ without fear of legal repercussions! You’re welcome,” Stewartson wrote.
In a June 2026 interview with The New York Times, Stewartson said he thought it was “hysterical” that Patel included his social media insults such as “chud” in the defamation lawsuit.
“Because how do you prove he’s not a chud?” Stewartson said.
The Daily Beast has contacted Kash Patel’s office and the Kash Foundation for comment.
