FBI Launches Rare Leak Probe Targeting Journalist Who Exposed Kash Patel’s Troubling Behavior

The FBI has opened a criminal leak investigation focusing on Sarah Fitzpatrick, the Atlantic journalist who published a detailed exposé last month revealing FBI Director Kash Patel’s erratic behavior and heavy alcohol use, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Typically, leak probes target the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, but this so-called insider threat investigation is notable for centering on a journalist reporting on internal misconduct rather than national security secrets. Agents from the FBI’s insider threats unit in Huntsville, Alabama, are said to be leading the inquiry.

Fitzpatrick’s article, based on two dozen anonymous insiders, painted a disturbing picture of Patel drinking to intoxication on the job and his security detail struggling to rouse him. Patel swiftly sued the Atlantic for defamation, denying the claims, but the magazine stood firm, citing additional corroboration obtained after publication.

If the investigation proceeds, it could allow FBI agents to subpoena Fitzpatrick’s phone records, comb through her social media contacts, and run her information through federal databases — tactics that raise alarm bells about press intimidation. Sources close to the FBI say many agents involved are uneasy, feeling trapped between upholding law enforcement norms and preserving their careers.

“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.”

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied the probe’s existence, calling it “completely false” and accusing the media of playing the victim whenever false claims are called out. Meanwhile, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg condemned the reported investigation as “outrageous, illegal, and dangerous,” vowing to defend Fitzpatrick and press freedom.

Historically, the Justice Department has set a high bar for subpoenaing journalists or accessing their records, limiting such actions to cases involving classified leaks after exhausting all other investigative avenues. Under Attorney General Merrick Garland, these protections were strengthened to shield reporters from government overreach — a direct response to the Trump administration’s aggressive pursuit of journalists covering sensitive national security stories.

This FBI leak probe targeting a journalist for reporting on misconduct within its own ranks represents a troubling escalation in the politicization of federal agencies. It underscores the ongoing threat to democratic accountability when law enforcement is turned into a tool to silence critics rather than uphold the rule of law.

Only Clowns Are Orange will continue monitoring this story as it develops, committed to holding power accountable and defending the free press against authoritarian intimidation.