The FBI has reportedly launched a criminal leak investigation following a series of anonymous allegations published in The Atlantic regarding Director Kash Patel’s personal conduct.
According to a report from MS NOW, an insider threats unit in Huntsville, Alabama, is looking into the unauthorized disclosure of information that fueled a recent media firestorm.
The investigation stems from a profile by reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick titled “The FBI Director Is MIA,” which cited two dozen unidentified sources. The article alleged that Patel’s “excessive drinking” resulted in missed meetings and prompted his security detail to consider using “breaching equipment” to reach him behind a locked door.
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Patel has vehemently denied the claims, characterizing them as a character assassination attempt, and has filed a defamation lawsuit against Fitzpatrick and The Atlantic.
While FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson dismissed the MS NOW report of a leak probe as “completely false,” reporters Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig maintain that the bureau is focused on identifying the internal sources who spoke to the magazine.
The investigation has sparked internal debate within the bureau. Insider threat units are traditionally reserved for leaks of classified national security data, and some sources suggested to MS NOW that agents are concerned about the optics of investigating a journalist’s sources.
One source claimed agents felt pressured to proceed, stating, “If they don’t go forward, they could lose their jobs.”
Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, defended the publication’s work and characterized the reported probe as an overreach.
“If confirmed to be true, an FBI criminal leak investigation targeting our reporter would represent an outrageous attack on the free press,” Goldberg said in a statement. He added that the magazine “will not be intimidated by illegitimate investigations or other acts of politically motivated retaliation.”
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This is the second time Patel has moved to counter unflattering media coverage through formal channels. In April, he dismissed a New York Times report regarding his use of government resources as “baseless.”
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