The FBI on May 8 raided the home of Timothy Burke, a liberal journalist who worked as the Daily Beast‘s director of video. Documents recently obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show the raid was in connection with the leaked Fox News clips that went viral on social media in early May.
The Times reported on Friday that it had obtained a letter from a federal prosecutor that had been sent to Fox News. While the letter does not explicitly name Burke, it does confirm that the raid on his house was in connection with a third party who hacked Fox and passed materials on to Media Matters and Vice. Media Matters and Vice are not being criminally investigated over the leaks.
When interviewed by local media following the raid, Burke denied knowing what the raid was about and declined to share the search warrant he was served.
The leaks themselves consisted of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson joking with staff and speaking candidly to guests. Executives at Fox were concerned by the security implications of the leaked clips, which came out shortly after the company unexpectedly fired Carlson.
Much of the content Burke produced for the Daily Beast mocked or otherwise criticized conservative video media, with a focus on right-wing cable news.
As of writing, the website for Burke’s media consulting company is down, and Burke has not tweeted since the May 8 raid. The investigation into the leaks is ongoing, with one prosecutor saying that it “may, if properly safeguarded, extend well beyond the specific facts and events described” in the affidavit that investigators submitted before receiving a warrant to search Burke’s home.
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