FBI Probes Leak to Atlantic Journalist Over Patel Report

A criminal investigation into a leak of information to an Atlantic journalist has been launched by the FBI, MSNBC reported Wednesday, citing two anonymous sources. The probe centers on reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, who authored a story detailing concerns about FBI Director Kash Patel’s conduct, including apparent intoxication and unexplained absences.

The report, published nearly three weeks ago in The Atlantic, stated that some government officials were worried about Patel’s behavior. MSNBC’s sources indicated that FBI agents assigned to the case are uneasy about the investigation, fearing they could lose their jobs if they do not proceed, yet aware they may be acting improperly.

Leak investigations typically target government officials, not journalists. One source told MSNBC: “They know they shouldn’t do it, but if they don’t move forward, they could lose their jobs. They’re in a bind either way.”

Uncertainty Over Investigation Steps

It remains unclear whether internal interviews have been conducted to identify who possessed the type of information included in The Atlantic’s report. Investigators’ actions are also unknown, including whether the FBI has sought Fitzpatrick’s phone records, examined her social media contacts, or checked her name against bureau databases.

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied the investigation’s existence, telling MSNBC: “That is completely untrue. There is no such investigation, and the journalist you mentioned is not under investigation at all.”

Atlantic Editor Calls It an Attack on Press Freedom

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, released a statement saying: “If this is true, it would represent a heinous attack on press freedom and on the First Amendment itself.” He vowed the magazine would “defend The Atlantic and its staff with full force” and would not be intimidated by “unlawful investigations or any other politically motivated retaliatory actions.”

Goldberg affirmed the publication would continue covering the FBI “with professionalism, integrity, and accuracy” and practice journalism in the public interest.

Background on the Original Report

Fitzpatrick’s article, titled “The FBI Director Is Missing” and published April 17, stated she interviewed more than twenty people about Patel’s conduct. Her sources included current and former FBI officials, law enforcement and intelligence agency employees, hospitality workers, members of Congress, political activists, lobbyists, and former advisers.

The piece contained previously unreported accounts, including an incident where Patel struggled to log into an internal computer system and believed he might have been fired, according to nine people familiar with the matter. Fitzpatrick also wrote that there was concern across the government about Patel’s alcohol consumption, with officials describing him as known for drinking to the point of visible intoxication.

Patel denied the report’s details and filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick. The lawsuit claims the article contains “clearly false and fabricated allegations” and that the magazine did not give the agency adequate time to respond. The Atlantic has defended its reporting, calling the lawsuit “baseless.”

Previous Legal Action and Broader Context

Last year, Patel sued former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi for stating on “Morning Joe” that Patel was “frequenting nightclubs far more than he was on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building,” where the agency is headquartered. On April 21, the day after Patel filed his defamation suit against The Atlantic, a federal judge in the Southern District of Texas dismissed the case against Figliuzzi.

This is not the first time in recent months that federal law enforcement has targeted traditional news-gathering methods in ways that appear designed to intimidate journalists. In January, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seizing her phone and other devices as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of unlawfully transmitting and retaining classified information. Weeks earlier, Natanson had published an article about contacting over a thousand sources regarding the Trump administration’s reforms to the federal government. Some of that work, along with that of her colleagues, was recognized this week when The Washington Post was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

In March, the FBI investigated New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson after she wrote about Patel using bureau employees to protect and transport his girlfriend, according to the newspaper. The Times reported that the FBI decided not to pursue the case.