FBI Opens Leak Investigation Targeting Sources Behind Atlantic Article on Director Patel Work Habits
The FBI opened a criminal leak investigation targeting Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, who last month reported that Director Kash Patel drank to obvious intoxication on multiple occasions and was at times unreachable behind locked doors. Two sources familiar with the matter told MS NOW on Wednesday that the probe is run by an insider threats unit in Huntsville, Alabama, and is unusual because no classified information was involved. One source told MS NOW that agents "know they are not supposed to do this" but feared losing their jobs if they refused. FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied any such investigation exists; Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said the probe, if confirmed, would be "an outrageous, illegal, and dangerous attack on the free press."
The decision to open a criminal leak probe over reporting on a director's personal conduct, with no classified information at stake, marks a significant departure from the statutory predicate that has historically justified such investigations. An insider threats unit in Huntsville operating under apparent duress, with agents reportedly aware the investigation is improper, points to a directive imposed above the field level. Judge Trenga's parallel ruling blocking DOJ from searching a Washington Post reporter's devices in the Perez-Lugones case applies directly: two federal courts have now drawn Privacy Protection Act boundaries around press sources, directly narrowing the legal tools available for probes like this one. We assess it is
4 sources
- FBI probing leaks to journalist who wrote explosive article on Kash Patel sources say -
MS NOW - FBI Launches Criminal Investigation Into Leaks to Reporter Who Wrote Article About Kash Patel's Drinking -
Mediaite - FBI Opens Criminal Leak Investigation Over Atlantic Story About Kash Patel | Report -
The Wrap - FBI Launches Probe Into Reporter Who Covered Kash Patel's Drinking -
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