FBI Director Kash Patel Orders Polygraphs for Staffers in Desperate Leak Hunt

FBI Director Kash Patel is doubling down on loyalty tests, ordering polygraphs for more than two dozen current and former members of his security detail and other staffers. According to sources familiar with the matter, Patel is desperate to identify who might be leaking damaging information about him to the press as scrutiny of his leadership intensifies.

This move comes amid a wave of critical media reports that have reportedly frustrated both Patel and President Donald Trump’s inner circle. Sources say Patel has started distancing himself from senior FBI leaders, focusing instead on polygraphing members of his travel security team and IT staff who had access to sensitive internal discussions. The goal: to root out anyone who may have spoken to reporters about Patel’s conduct and decisions.

The FBI director’s actions have sparked concern among bureau officials about his engagement with core operational matters. Some insiders worry Patel is isolating himself at a time when strong leadership is crucial. FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson pushed back against these claims, insisting Patel remains fully engaged in daily operational meetings and dismissing media reports as panic-driven falsehoods.

Patel’s leak paranoia follows his order to open a criminal investigation into an April Atlantic article alleging he drank excessively and was difficult to wake the next morning. Some FBI agents reportedly feel uneasy about pursuing this probe, seeing it as unjustified and potentially targeting journalists’ communications—a move that raises serious First Amendment questions. Historically, criminal leak investigations are reserved for cases involving genuine national security risks or classified information breaches.

Beyond the leak hunt, Patel faces criticism for his management of bureau resources. He has been accused of using FBI security personnel to protect his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, and flying on a government jet for personal trips. His February visit to the Winter Olympics in Milan also drew ire after video surfaced of him drinking beer with the U.S. men’s hockey team in their locker room, contradicting claims the trip was strictly official business. Sources say this incident angered Trump, who was concerned about the optics.

Patel’s leadership style, marked by loyalty purges and a focus on personal survival, fits a broader pattern of politicizing federal law enforcement under the Trump administration. His polygraph order is just the latest sign of a bureau director more interested in protecting himself than the integrity of the FBI. As the leak investigations and internal tensions mount, the question remains: how long can Patel hold on before his own agency turns against him?