Justice Department moves to drop case against journalist who exposed Kanye West Jew-hatred remarks

The U.S. Department of Justice moved on Wednesday to drop its appeal of seven felony wiretapping charges against Florida journalist Tim Burke. Burke was arrested in 2024 after publishing unaired antisemitic remarks made by Kanye West during a Fox News interview, which he claimed to have found on public websites. A September 2025 ruling had rejected the Wiretap Act charges, with the trial judge finding prosecutors interpreted the law too broadly. While the appeal on wiretapping charges is being dismissed, other charges against Burke, including alleged violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, remain pending. Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation stated, "Prosecutors were right to drop their appeal of the Wiretap Act counts, but they're wrong to continue to pursue other charges to punish a journalist who exposed antisemitism."