Why the FBI BATTLED Tennessee media over Covenant School shooter’s manifesto



The Covenant School shooter’s manifesto has finally been released by the Tennessee Star — but it didn’t happen without a fight.

“We’re just a journalistic organization seeking documents which the public has a right to see, and at every level, the local government has obstructed those desires, as has the FBI,” Tennessee Star CEO Michael Patrick Leahy tells Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight.”

“In fact, the Metro National Police Department has claimed for well over a year that the investigation is ongoing. They claimed in court in March it would be over by the end of June. Well, here we are, the beginning of September, they’re still claiming it,” he explains.

“It’s basically a stalling tactic because they don’t want this information out,” he adds.

In 2023, Leahy was hauled into court on June 17 by the presiding judge in the state case to explain why “she shouldn’t hit me with contempt of court charges.”

“She claimed that perhaps there was a court order that she’d issued that I violated. There was no such order,” Leahy explains. “It was Kafka-esque, right here in America.”

Leahy didn’t give up, as he believes it’s incredibly important for Americans to understand the motive behind a shooting like this, and Savage also notes that "the shooter's writings shed light on her poor mental health leading up to the shooting."

“This is a matter of public interest,” he says. “What is the motivation behind these mass murders committed by very troubled people, and what’s the public policy solution to it? I think that’s a very important part of the discussion.”

“We believe that we have served the public interest by demonstrating the very confused state of mind that Audrey Hale had and the absolute total failure of the mental health system to treat her for her difficulties,” he continues, noting that Hale had been under psychiatric care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for 22 years.

“She was also taking very, very strong SSRI drugs since 2019. Those will have an impact on a person, and I think that really, the whole public discussion about this has been misdirected. They try to make it about gun control.”

The issue isn’t the weapon a person uses but why the person picks up the weapon in the first place.

“The real issue here is how our children are suffering from mental illness and not being treated properly and how they’re being overprescribed with psychiatric drugs,” Leahy says.


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Judge who ordered newspaper man to court for exposing trans shooter's manifesto didn't want to hear his defense



Michael Patrick Leahy, the CEO of Star News Digital Media and the editor of the Tennessee Star, drew the ire of a low-level Democratic judge for publishing documents the FBI wanted suppressed or possibly even destroyed: the suicide note and deranged writings of the radical transvestite who murdered three children and three adults last year in a Nashville Christian school.

After Stacy Cameron, a reporter for a local Fox News affiliate, effectively snitched on the Tennessee Star for doing what mainstream media outlets refused to do, Judge l'Ashea Myles of the Tennessee 20th Judicial District Chancery Court ordered Leahy to court for a show cause hearing.

The stated aim of the hearing was "to determine why the alleged publication of certain purported documents by Petitioners Star Digital Media and Michael Leahy, as the Editor-in-Chief, does not violate the Orders of this Court subjecting them to contempt proceedings and sanctions."

The suggestion was that by allegedly publishing writings under the judge's in-camera review, Leahy and the Tennessee Star's parent company may have interfered with their lawsuit seeking the full release of the trans killer's writing by the Metro Nashville Police Department.

According to Blaze News investigative reporter Steve Baker, who was in the courtroom Monday, it quickly became clear that Myles "wished she had not called the hearing."

"It seemed like she was trying to get out of it," said Baker. "She initiated something that was over her head, over her pay grade — something that was out of bounds with the law."

While the hearing was supposed to be centered on Leahy, neither he nor his counsel Daniel Horwitz were able to get out more than a few words. Instead, Myles appeared keen on leaning on the other parties present to express their grievances and concerns, effectively filibustering her own proceeding by proxy.

"The judge allowed everybody else to speak except for the one guy the hearing was called for," said Baker. "Michael Leahy's attorney — every time he got up, which was twice, she interrupted him and cut him off mid-stream. She told him that she was not going to hear any arguments today in regards to the case."

"She actually said these words: 'Your arguments are not yet ripe,'" continued Baker.

The Star indicated that Myles reimagined the purpose of the hearing to get a feeling for the "landscape" of the situation.

While Baker will detail some of the more absurd and shocking aspects of the hearing in a forthcoming piece for Blaze News, he has nevertheless made clear it was a gong show.

"What in the hell did I just witness?" Baker said Monday on "The Michael Patrick Leahy Show." "As soon as the court adjourned ... I went, 'What the you-know-what?'"

"She wanted to understand everybody's position. She reiterated over and over again that she wasn't the investigator: 'I'm just the judge. I'm not the prosecutor. I'm just the judge and I'm just here to get understanding.’ And she did wrap it up at the end and said, 'Okay, now I understand.' When court was adjourned ... I said, 'Does she understand what an airhead she is?'" said Baker.

Baker suggested to Blaze News that Myles likely realized in the days leading up to the show cause hearing "she had made a mistake" and didn't want the matter to end up going to an appeals court.

"She set the wheels in motion, then realized, 'I blew it here. I should not have done this,'" continued Baker. "She was covering her ass."

On his show Monday, Leahy reflected on the outcome of the show cause hearing, saying, "She didn't allow me to show cause nor did she allow my lawyer to show cause why I shouldn't be held in contempt. She changed the purpose of the meeting."

While none of the attorneys who spoke at the hearing Monday reportedly argued that Leahy broke the law, the newspaper man indicated she may still assign a special prosecutor to go after him for publishing the shooter's journal.

"So let me give you the bottom line on all this. I thought there'd be two outcomes or possibilities. Either [Myles] was going to set up a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute us, or she was going to take it under advisement and then issue an order later," said Leahy. "So that's what she did. She said, 'I'm going to take all of this under advisement and I'll issue an order.' She didn't say when. If that order is to set up a special prosecutor, I will still be in legal jeopardy. That's my take on it."

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Newspaper man who exposed trans shooter's manifesto is ordered to court — and press freedom types are silent



A radical transvestite marched into a Christian elementary school in Nashville on March 27, 2023, and murdered three 9-year-old children — Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs — and three adults — teacher Cynthia Peak, custodian Mike Hill, and head of school Katherine Koonce.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department refrained from announcing a possible motive for the attack, prompting months of speculation about its anti-Christian nature as well as the likelihood that LGBT activists' alarmist rhetoric and destabilizing sex-change drugs were factors. The FBI appeared especially keen to hide the transvestite shooter's motives from the public.

After a year of uncertainty and Democrats exploiting the massacre to push gun bans, the truth has become abundantly clear, thanks to Michael Patrick Leahy, the CEO of Star News Digital Media and the editor of the Tennessee Star, who published the shooter's suicide note and other writings, which his paper obtained from an unnamed source some have suggested is close to the MNPD's investigation.

It appears Leahy may ultimately pay a price for doing his job and protecting his source.

After Stacy Cameron, a reporter for a local Fox News affiliate, effectively snitched on the Tennessee Star for detailing the shooter's leaked writings, l'Ashea Myles — the Democratic judge for Part III of the Tennessee 20th Judicial District Chancery Court — ordered Leahy last week to court for a show cause hearing.

'This very lower, lower, lower court judge is being pressured by somebody far above her pay grade.'

The purported point of the hearing, set to take place Monday, is "to determine why the alleged publication of certain purported documents by Petitioners Star Digital Media and Michael Leahy, as the Editor-in-Chief, does not violate the Orders of this Court subjecting them to contempt proceedings and sanctions."

Blaze News investigative reporter Steve Baker, who himself was arrested earlier this year for working in a journalistic capacity, will be on the scene for the hearing and has spoken with Leahy concerning the hazards of reporting on what the liberal media appears otherwise keen to ignore.

"My feeling is that this very lower, lower, lower court judge is being pressured by somebody far above her pay grade to bring action here against a local journalist who legally acquired documents and information about one of the most substantial shootings in the country last year," Baker told Blaze News. "This was obviously a situation where the FBI did not want these documents out, did not want the manifesto out."

Baker suggested that the apparent aim is to stop the release of documents that the powers that be "see as inappropriate because, once again, we have a favored class of citizens — a subclass — of transgender people," and such damning information might also implicate the use of profitable antidepressants and puberty blockers.

'The documents are public record, and they should be released.'

Blaze News reached out to the ACLU as well as its Nashville chapter about the prospect that a newspaper man might be punished for doing his job. Neither responded by deadline. PEN America and Freedom House similarly did not respond to questions about their ostensibly selective support for embattled reporters.

Background

When it became clear that officials weren't going to cough up a motive or the shooter's writings, the Tennessee Firearms Association and the Nashville Police Association unsuccessfully sued, demanding that officials release the killer's manifesto and other writings.

When the FBI denied its public records request, Leahy's Tennessee Star also filed a lawsuit.

"The documents are public record, and they should be released. Metro government failed to release them; we asked them nicely. They didn't. They shared those documents with the FBI, and we asked them nicely in accordance with the law. When government entities don't comply with the law, we have recourse through the courts," said Leahy.

Extra to pressure from the free press and local organizations, law enforcement officials were met with a request from 77 Tennessee House Republicans for the transvestite shooter's "writings as well as relevant medical records and toxicology reports."

The MNPD dragged its feet and asked a court to first permit family members of the victims and other interested parties to raise objections to the release of the documents.

Sure enough, the Covenant Presbyterian Church and the associated school filed a motion to block the release of the manifesto, citing privacy concerns. Parents with children at the school also filed a motion in May 2023 against the release of the manifesto, expressing concern that its content might inspire future shootings — a line of argumentation nearly identical to that advanced by the FBI that same month.

Blaze News previously reported that officials with the FBI's Critical Incident Response Group wrote to Nashville Police Chief John Drake on May 11, 2023, about the value in suppressing so-called "legacy tokens," claiming that "public access to legacy tokens will contribute to future attacks."

The FBI also warned that a failure to hide the truth from the public "will also facilitate false narratives and inaccurate information" — and possibly even inflammatory "conspiracy theories" by unsanctioned experts.

The success of this apparent federal-supported coverup was endangered when conservative commentator Steven Crowder released three pages of the manifesto, which were later authenticated. Nashville's Democratic mayor vowed to investigate the leak, and seven MNPD officers were placed on administrative duty.

The investigation proved fruitless.

The matter of the release of the remainder of the documents remained under consideration in Myles' Davidson County court.

Ordering a newspaper man to court

Deborah Fisher of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government noted that Myles issued an order in February stating that documents pertaining to the case about the documents, "no matter how obtained ... SHALL NOT be filed with the Court but SHALL BE submitted for in camera review following the procedures delineated in this case. … Any efforts to usurp the Orders of the Court by any Party, Counsel and/or Amici regarding the matters currently under in camera review shall be sanctioned to the fullest extent of the law, including contempt of court."

This and a follow-up order appear to be the orders Leahy is imagined to have run afoul of.

After the Fox News affiliate asked Myles about the Tennessee Star's reports earlier this month — which revealed, among other things, that the FBI floated the idea of destroying the shooter's writings and the shooter received decades of treatments at Vanderbilt Psychiatric, where she allegedly expressed violent fantasies — the judge ordered Leahy in his individual capacity to show up for a show cause hearing.

Daniel Horwitz, counsel for Leahy, stated in a June 12 court filing that the court's show cause order violates Tennessee's shield law protecting journalists' sources and information, whether obtained confidentially or not. Horwitz also suggested that the newly minted Democratic judge's order also contravenes Tennessee's contempt law, "deprives Mr. Leahy of minimum due process guarantees," and suffers from "other serious constitutional infirmities."

The court filing further indicated that Myles' order did not specify the "Orders of this Court" that were supposedly violated.

'This is what the free press is for.'

"In contempt proceedings, 'the order underlying the charge must be clear, specific, and unambiguous,'" wrote Horwitz. "The conduct detailed in the Court's Show Cause Order does not plausibly violate any of [the court's] previous mandates."

Myles refused to rescind her order, noting that if she concludes "a leak did in fact occur by any party to this case and that such action was in violation of the Orders of this Court, or that there has been any abuse of, or unlawful interference with, the process or proceedings of the Court, or any violation as set forth in Tennessee Code Annotated § 29-9-102, this Court may then enter an order and notice appointing an attorney as amicus curiae to the court for investigative purposes, and to initiate and prosecute a contempt citation."

Baker indicated that if held in contempt, Leahy noted he could get 10 days for each supposed violation. With at least 30 offending stories published this month, it is apparently possible that the newspaper man could land hundreds of days in the slammer.

When speaking to the newspaper man this week about the prospect of legal strife over the faithful execution of journalistic duties, Baker said, "Welcome to the club."

Leahy suggested to Baker that 10 days would be a walk in the park. Hundreds of days for fulfilling his obligation as a newsman would, however, be a different story.

Former acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General Jeff Clark spoke out in defense of Leahy Thursday, noting, "What's being threatened against Mike Leahy seems to be a strange amalgam of 1) violating the First Amendment ban on prior restraints on speech; 2) a threatened mystery violation of law just like the Alvin Bragg case against Trump ('step right up, ladies and gentlemen, pick a plus-up crime, any plus-up crime'); and 3) weaponization of contempt law, like what's going on down in Fulton County with Judge Glanville in the Young Thug trial."

"What's going on in America? It's like a slice of the state judiciary across multiple States has lost its collective mind," added Clark.

"The American people deserve to know the details of how Hale was radicalized by the trans agenda. And the victims' family especially deserve to learn that information. This is what the free press is for," continued Clark. "It's not designed to coddle the trans movement or keep secrets that could get people killed through ignorance."

State Rep. Jeremy Faison (R) noted the Tennessee Legislature "will not stand for an activist judge who weaponizes their courtroom. [Leahy] is the press and does not have to prove to any courtroom that he is innocent."

Republican state Sen. Ken Yager said he would sponsor Faison's resolution to remove "judges engaging in abuse like this."

Concerning the liberal media and supposed press freedom groups' relative silence on Leahy's court appearance Monday, Baker indicated that either the First Amendment "is fundamental to the freedom of all people or it's only based on ideological preference."

"Very interesting to me that over and over and over again I hear conservatives, libertarians say, 'I will die for your right to say what you want to say even if I disagree with it. But we never get a reciprocal response from the other side," added Baker.

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Officials identify the 11-year-old boy murdered by trans gunman in Iowa school shooting



A trans-identifying teen who had reportedly been active on a school shooting chatroom brought to the FBI's attention last year shot up a high school in Perry, Iowa, on Thursday, murdering a child and grievously injuring several others.

Officials have identified the 11-year-old boy killed in the rampage as Ahmir Jolliff.

As the child's family prepares for his funeral Thursday, various publications continue to recycle the Associated Press' early framing of the shooter as a victim of bullying despite his clear appetite for attacking unarmed innocents.

The shooter and the FBI

A 17-year-old student at Perry High School showed up for the new semester last week armed with a pump-action shotgun, a homemade bomb, and a small-caliber handgun, according to authorities.

Blaze News previously noted that prior to the shooting, the suspect posted a selfie taken inside the school's bathroom to his TikTok account along with the lyrics "now we wait" from the song "Stray Bullet" from the German band KMFDM. The same song was featured on the personal website of one of the shooters behind the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

NBC News reported that before the shooting, the suspect also wrote in a Discord message, "I'm f****** nervous, I'm the bathroom gearing up."

The shooter's Reddit and TikTok accounts, both deactivated shortly after the shooting, revealed that the shooter featured an LGBT activist flag in his bio and indicated he used "he/they" pronouns. Beside engaging online with other LGBT activists about transgenderism, the shooter also used the hashtag "genderfluid" and posted, "[L]ove your trans kids."

The shooter, son of the Perry airport's director and a small business owner, admitted in one Reddit post that a fear of looking ugly prevented him from beginning the sex-change process.

While keen to proudly display an LGBT activist flag in his social media bio, the shooter was evidently not big on intersectionality, having also noted in his Discord correspondence, "There's a n***** in the bathroom, I need him to leave so I can assemble my guns."

A Discord user who saw the shooter in a chatroom dedicated to discussing school shootings called "School Massacres Discussion" told NBC News they reported the chatroom to the FBI in November. The user's report concerning the chatroom did not directly reference the shooter's handle, "took2much." Nevertheless, they shared screenshots with an FBI agent who allegedly never got back in touch. Nevertheless, the chatroom was shut down before the Perry shooting.

The FBI did not respond to NBC News' request for comment.

The shooting

After first lurking in the bathroom and circulating more of his depraved thoughts online, the shooter who may have been known to the FBI opened fire on staff and children around 7:47 a.m., before the start of classes.

Police were quick to respond, rushing into the school "within minutes" of the initial report of an active shooter, according Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt.

Before being able to use his improvised explosive device, which Mortvedt suggested was "pretty rudimentary," the shooter offed himself with a well-placed gunshot to the head.

Of the seven victims who received wounds or injuries, four were students and three were staff members. Two students remain in hospital, one of whom was reportedly shot multiple times. The other two were treated and released.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety indicated that as of Friday, Perry High School principal Dan Marburger was still in critical condition, having suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators indicated Marburger "acted selflessly and placed himself in harm's way in an apparent effort to protect his students."

A young life cut short

Ahmir Jolliff, known to family and friends as "Smiley" on account of his exuberant disposition, suffered three gunshot wounds, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety. The boy, a Chicago-born student at Perry Middle School — which is attached to the high school — was in the cafeteria when the trans shooter opened fire.

Jolliff's obituary in the Des Moines Register noted that Jolliff's "love for life was reflected in his diverse array of hobbies, including participating in the choir and band, playing soccer, and immersing himself in the world of video games."

The obituary further indicated that "Ahmir was not just a bright light; he was a steadfast defender of justice. He stood up against bullies, championing those who needed a voice and ensuring that kindness prevailed."

The boy's mother told the Associated Press, which has cast her son's killer as a victim of bullying, "He was so well-loved and he loved everyone."

"He's such an outgoing person," added Erica Jolliff.

A funeral service will take place at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Perry at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 11. Overflow seating will reportedly be available across the street at First Cristian Church (Disciples of Christ).

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Suspected Iowa school shooter's digital footprint indicates his was possibly yet another trans rampage



Students returning to school for their second semester in the small town of Perry, Iowa, were met Thursday morning with gunfire and bloodshed. The suspect responsible for ushering in the new year with senseless violence appears to have been yet another butcher captive to trans ideology.

According to authorities, the 17-year-old suspect, a student at the school, stalked the halls of Perry Middle and High School Thursday morning armed with a pump-action shotgun, a homemade bomb, and a small-caliber handgun. He began opening fire on children and staff around 7:47 a.m., before the start of classes.

Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante indicated the fact classes had not yet begun may have been a limiting factor on the number of victims ultimately attacked, reported Newsweek.

"School didn't start yet, luckily, so there were very few students and faculty in the building, which I think contributed to a good outcome in that sense," said Infante.

The suspect murdered a sixth-grader from Perry Middle School and injured five others, four of whom were students. The fifth victim was identified by the school district as the school's principal, Dan Marburger.

Three of the victims were taken to Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, and others were taken to MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center, reported the Associated Press — a news agency that has attempted to paint the shooter as a victim of bullying.

One of the survivors is in critical condition. The other four are reportedly now in stable condition.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement, "Our hearts are broken by this senseless tragedy. Our prayers are with the students, teachers & families of the Perry Community."

Reynolds thanked police and first responders for their fast response, stating, "Their heroic actions today we can say saved lives."

Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Assistant Director Mitch Mortvedt underscored during a press conference Thursday that the response by law enforcement was swift and unflinching. At least 150 law enforcement agents ultimately rushed to the scene.

"Perry Police officers responded within minutes. They immediately made entry and witnessed students and faculty either sheltering in place or running from the school," said Mortvedt. "Once inside, they located multiple individuals with gunshot wounds. Officers immediately attempted to locate the source of the threat and quickly found what appeared to be the shooter with a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

The shooter evidently offed himself before being able to deploy his improvised explosive device against innocents. Mortvedt indicated that the bomb, which was "pretty rudimentary," was successfully neutralized by the state fire marshal and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents.

Investigators are now analyzing the suspect's posts on social media, particularly on Reddit and TikTok — both of which have been deactivated.

Prior to the shooting, the suspect reportedly posted a selfie taken inside the school's bathroom to his TikTok account along with the lyrics "now we wait" from the song "Stray Bullet" from the German band KMFDM.

The New York Post highlighted that that the same song referenced by the suspect was also used on the personal website of one of the shooters behind the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.

This is the Perry High School shooter\xe2\x80\x99s TikTok account just before they removed his social media. This was the last photo he posted accompanied with the song \xe2\x80\x9cStray Bullet\xe2\x80\x9d by KMFDM.
— (@)

An archived version of the suspect's TikTok account reveals his bio was limited to an LGBT activist flag emoji. Extra to stating "he/they" pronouns on social media and allegedly engaging with other LGBT activists about transgenderism, the suspect also appears to used the hashtag "genderfluid" and posted, "love your trans kids."

In one of the suspect's alleged Reddit posts, he noted he was being held back from beginning the sex-change process because he didn't "want to look ugly."

While acknowledging that the shooter may have been trans, leftists have rushed to downplay the relevance as well as the corresponding trend.

The Advocate, an LGBT activist publication, stressed, "While there have been isolated incidents involving transgender or nonbinary people in mass shootings, these are not representative of the broader trend."

The 26-year-old behind the Sept. 20, 2018, mass shooting outside a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland, was a transvestite who had reportedly been receiving hormone therapy and planning to get a sex change operation.

The woman behind the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch mass shooting in Colorado was also a transvestite transitioning at the time she took aim at unarmed students.

The lawyers for the man behind the November 2022 massacre at a non-straight nightclub in Colorado Springs, which left five dead and 25 injured, indicated he identified as non-binary, reported Newsweek.

The female LGBT activist who shot up a Christian elementary school in Nashville last March, killing three children and three adults, was another transvestite who identified as a man.

Angela Ferell-Zaballa, executive director of the gun-grab group Moms Demand Action, told the Advocate, "Extremists often try to muddy the waters by blaming our gun violence crisis on mental health or gender identity, when often people with these lived realities are most likely to be victims of gun violence, rather than perpetrators of it."

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, stated, "Media outlets that speculate on the shooter's identity or their support of LGBTQ rights instead of focusing on those impacted are contributing to a false and sweeping narrative about vulnerable communities."

The Human Rights Campaign's national propagandist, Brandon Wolf, told the Advocate that Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik, among those who have highlighted the suspect's apparent trans-identification, "is using a horrific shooting to try and drum up anti-LGBTQ+ hysteria for her cause. In truth, LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately impacted by gun violence, a reality made worse by those like her, who demonize the community at every turn and peddle dangerous, bogus narratives in exchange for influence."

LGBTQ Nation, which recognized the shooter as "nonbinary," similarly lashed out at those dredging up evidence of his LGBT affinities, noting, "The right-wing focus on gun-toting queers and shooters' mental illness is merely a way to stigmatize queer people while also drawing attention away from gun control regulations that could help stop mass shootings in the first place."

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