Alexis Wilkins has denied claims that she was 'hiding in a room' and 'holding hands' with another man during the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) shooting in Washington DC, insisting she was only ever with her boyfriend, FBI Director Kash Patel. The allegation about Wilkins, first raised in a New York Times live blog and later amended, has turned into a minor online frenzy in the days since the incident.
The claims emerged after gunfire outside the venue triggered a brief panic at the high‑profile media and politics event. In the confusion, attendees were rushed to secure locations and early reporting attempted to piece together where prominent figures were and how they reacted. It was in this haze that the Times initially described 'Patel's girlfriend' as sheltering with another man who was said to be holding her hand, a small human detail that swiftly overtook discussion of the shooting itself.
