FBI Director Kash Patel Escalates War on Press with $250M Lawsuit and Leak Probe

Kash Patel, the FBI director known for his loyalty purges and politicization of law enforcement, is doubling down on his war against The Atlantic. After filing a staggering $250 million defamation lawsuit against the outlet for a scathing profile, Patel’s FBI is now reportedly investigating leaks to the journalist behind that story. According to sources cited by MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig, this probe was not triggered by any disclosure of classified information — the usual justification for leak investigations — raising serious concerns inside the bureau.

“They know they are not supposed to do this,” one source told MS NOW. “But if they don’t go forward, they could lose their jobs. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” This chilling dynamic shows how Patel’s FBI is caught between enforcing the law and appeasing a politically motivated boss. The prospect of the FBI investigating a reporter whom the director himself is suing marks a glaring conflict of interest and an alarming escalation of the Trump administration’s assault on the free press.

The Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick, whose reporting sparked the lawsuit, has continued her investigation undeterred. She revealed Patel’s “personalized bourbon stash,” bottles engraved with “Kash Patel FBI Director” that he gifts to associates — a telling detail about his self-aggrandizing style amid reports of excessive drinking and erratic behavior.

Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg condemned the FBI’s actions as “an outrageous attack on the free press and the First Amendment itself.” He vowed the outlet would “defend The Atlantic and its staff vigorously” and continue fearless journalism despite “illegitimate investigations or other acts of politically motivated retaliation.”

The FBI denied the leak investigation claims on social media, calling them “false” and accusing the media of playing victim. But this denial rings hollow given a recent string of government actions against journalists. Under Trump and Patel’s watch, reporters like Don Lemon, Georgia Fort, and Washington Post’s Hannah Natanson have faced criminal charges, raids, and severe access restrictions. The Justice Department rescinded Biden-era protections around leak investigations, making it easier to target journalists.

Last month, the FBI reportedly investigated New York Times journalist Elizabeth Williamson after she reported on Patel’s misuse of bureau personnel for his girlfriend’s benefit. The FBI framed this as a concern over “aggressive reporting techniques,” but Times executive editor Joe Kahn called it a “blatant violation” of First Amendment rights.

Courts have pushed back against these abuses. Judges have dismissed Patel’s and Trump’s lawsuits against journalists and media outlets, struck down unconstitutional Pentagon press restrictions, and blocked government searches of reporters’ devices. The Washington Post’s Pulitzer-winning reporter Hannah Natanson recently had a court bar the Justice Department from searching her devices, a rare win amid an unprecedented crackdown.

As Post executive editor Matt Murray warned, if the government prevails in these cases, it will set a dangerous precedent allowing the government to raid journalists’ homes and seize their materials without oversight — a profound threat to press freedom and democracy itself.

Kash Patel’s escalating vendetta against The Atlantic is not just a personal feud. It is part of a broader Trump-era pattern of weaponizing federal agencies to silence critics and intimidate the press. The stakes could not be higher for journalists and the public’s right to know.