FBI Launches Leak Probe Targeting Atlantic Reporter Covering Kash Patel’s Troubling Behavior

Nearly three weeks after The Atlantic published a bombshell report exposing FBI Director Kash Patel’s erratic behavior—ranging from conspicuous intoxication to unexplained disappearances—the bureau has reportedly opened a criminal leak investigation aimed at the journalist behind the story, Sarah Fitzpatrick. According to MS NOW, this probe has sparked unease among FBI agents, who acknowledge the investigation is outside normal protocol since leak probes typically target government officials, not reporters.

“They know they are not supposed to do this,” one anonymous 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.”

The FBI’s official spokesperson, Ben Williamson, denied the existence of any such investigation, calling the reports “completely false” and insisting Fitzpatrick is not under scrutiny. The White House declined to comment, deferring to the FBI.

The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, condemned the reported investigation as “an outrageous attack on the free press and the First Amendment itself.” He vowed to defend the publication and its journalists against what he called “politically motivated retaliation.”

This incident fits a troubling pattern of federal law enforcement weaponizing investigations to chill journalism critical of the Trump administration and its allies. Earlier this year, FBI agents raided Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home, seizing her devices as part of a probe into a government contractor. Natanson’s reporting on the Trump administration’s radical federal overhaul was widely celebrated, earning the Post a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

Similarly, the FBI investigated New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson after she exposed Patel’s use of bureau personnel for personal errands, though that case was later dropped.

Fitzpatrick’s April 17 article drew on interviews with over two dozen sources—including FBI insiders, members of Congress, and industry workers—to paint a damning picture of Patel. The piece revealed incidents such as Patel’s struggle to access internal systems amid fears of being fired and his security detail’s request for “breaching equipment” to reach him behind locked doors.

Patel has denied the allegations and filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick, calling the story “false and obviously fabricated.” The magazine has stood by its reporting, dismissing the lawsuit as meritless. Meanwhile, President Trump has offered Patel continued support but has remained largely silent on the controversy.

This leak investigation targeting a journalist reporting on FBI leadership misconduct represents a direct threat to press freedom and democratic accountability. It underscores how the Trump administration’s allies continue to weaponize federal agencies to silence dissent and evade scrutiny. We will keep tracking this story as it develops.