Michael Hastings Death: FBI Says Journalist Was Not Under Investigation (Updated)
Despite reports that BuzzFeed journalist Michael Hastings suspected he was being investigated by the FBI, a representative from the FBI's Los Angeles field office told TheWrap: "At no time was journalist Michael Hastings ever under investigation by the FBI."
The car accident that killed BuzzFeed journalist Michael Hastings on June 18 is being investigated as a "single-vehicle accident" and there is "no indication of foul play at this time," a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman told TheWrap.
In the wake of a Wikileaks tweet that claimed Hastings contacted Wikileaks lawyer Jennifer Robinson hours before his death, believing he was being investigated by the FBI, conspiracy theories have abounded that Hastings was murdered.
Also read: BuzzFeed Journalist Michael Hastings Dead at 33
Ben Smith, Hastings' editor at BuzzFeed, told New York Magazine that Hastings had "told a number of his friends and colleagues that he was concerned that he was under investigation," but neither he nor BuzzFeed have commented further. Neither Wikileaks nor Jennifer Robinson have made any statements beyond that tweet. Hastings' widow, Elise Jordan, came forward only to criticize the New York Times's obituary of her husband.
The Los Angeles County coroner has now positively identified Hastings as the driver of the Mercedes that crashed into a tree on Highland Avenue and burst into flames, according to the Los Angeles Times. The LA Times also reported that Hastings was working on a story about Jill Kelley's lawsuit against the FBI and the Department of Defense at the time of his death.
No word yet on when the investigation into Hastings' death will conclude. Toxicology results should take several weeks.
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