FBI probing leaks to journalist who wrote explosive article on Kash Patel, sources say
MS NOW has learned that agents are investigating the Atlantic reporter who wrote a detailed story of Patel’s alleged heavy drinking and erratic behavior.
The FBI has launched a criminal leak investigation focusing on an Atlantic magazine journalist who wrote a deeply unflattering account last month of Director Kash Patel’s work habits, two people familiar with the matter told MS NOW.
The sources said the so-called insider threat investigation is highly unusual because it did not stem from a disclosure of classified information and because it is focused on leaks to a reporter. The agents involved are part of an insider threats unit based in Huntsville, Alabama, the sources added.
Typically, leak investigations look into government officials who may have disclosed state secrets or classified documents. Journalists who receive and publish such information have typically only been involved as potential witnesses.
The journalist, Sarah Fitzpatrick, cited two dozen anonymous sources in a detailed story reporting that Patel’s alcohol consumption and erratic behavior had caused deep concern among FBI officials. Patel was known to drink to the point of intoxication, she reported, adding that on occasion his security detail had trouble waking him in the morning.
Patel immediately sued The Atlantic, saying the story contained falsehoods and claiming he had been defamed. The magazine and Fitzpatrick stood by her reporting, saying they had received additional corroboration after it was published.
An investigation could be used by FBI agents to obtain her phone records, run her name and information through FBI databases and examine her social media contacts. It was not known what investigative steps agents have taken in the case.
There is deep concern about this approach among some of the FBI agents assigned to the matter, said the sources, who were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about a sensitive matter.
“They know they are not supposed to do this,” one source said. “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 investigation to MS NOW, saying, “This is completely false. No such investigation like this exists and the reporter you mention is not being investigated at all.
“Every time there’s a publication of false claims by anonymous sources that gets called out, the media plays the victim via investigations that do not exist,” he added.
In a statement to MS NOW, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, said, “We will have further comment when we learn more. If true, this would be an outrageous, illegal, and dangerous attack on the free press and the First Amendment. We will defend Sarah and all of our reporters who are subjected to government harassment simply for pursuing the truth.”
The Justice Department has had a very high bar to subpoena reporters or seek to obtain their phone records in criminal investigations, and historically has sought to get such testimony or records only when there is leak of classified information and investigators have already exhausted all other means to find the person or people who illegally released such sensitive material.
During the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, the FBI infrequently obtained reporters’ phone records as part of investigations into government officials suspected of disclosing classified information, in violation of the Espionage Act.
During President Joe Biden’s administration, Attorney General Merrick Garland went further to protect journalists’ sources. His actions came in the wake of the early 2021 discovery that the Justice Department in the first Trump presidency had secretly obtained records of journalists at The Washington Post, CNN and The New York Times when probing who had disclosed government secrets related to the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and other national security matters.
In July 2021, Garland issued a directive that prohibited federal prosecutors from seizing journalists’ records when they were engaged in normal newsgathering, other than in extraordinary circumstances. That included when reporters were suspected of working for agents of a foreign power or terrorist organizations or in situations that posed imminent risk to human life.
That July, Garland ordered a full review of the department’s use of subpoenas and compulsory orders to telephone and internet providers seeking reporters’ testimony and records. Ultimately this resulted in him adopting a new and broader media policy in October 2022. That policy codified the restrictions and required that prosecutors obtain the approval of the attorney general when seeking to execute a search warrant of a reporter’s home or office — as well as the approval of the deputy attorney general in order to subpoena reporters’ testimony.
The policy required that the department only subpoena or seek records of reporters engaged in normal newsgathering when a member of the news media is the subject or target of an investigation and is suspected of committing an offense.
“These regulations recognize the crucial role that a free and independent press plays in our democracy,” Garland said in an October 2022 statement announcing his new policy.
“Because freedom of the press requires that members of the news media have the freedom to investigate and report the news, the new regulations are intended to provide enhanced protection to members of the news media from certain law enforcement tools and actions that might unreasonably impair newsgathering.”
Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, repealed the Garland policy in April 2025, within three months of taking office, and dramatically lowered the standards for prosecutors in seeking such records. Bondi’s revisions, however, recognized that demanding reporters’ testimony and records through subpoenas and search warrants was a technique “to be deployed as a last resort.”
It is unclear whether the FBI has already exhausted other methods to find leakers, such as interviewing a pool of government employees with access to the kind of information published in The Atlantic magazine article.
Last month, The New York Times reported that the FBI began investigating one of its reporters for violating stalking laws after she wrote a story about an FBI security detail assigned to Patel’s girlfriend. The FBI told the paper that while it found the reporter’s process “aggressive,” it was not pursuing a case.
In January, the FBI conducted a court-authorized — and unprecedented — search of the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seizing two computers, a recorder, a Garmin watch, a phone and a portable hard drive.
Natanson was not under investigation, however; the probe focuses on a systems administrator with a top secret security clearance who has been charged with unlawfully obtaining and sharing classified materials.
Two federal judges have so far forbidden the government from examining Natanson’s devices. On Monday she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for public service for her reporting on mass firings by DOGE as Trump overhauled the federal government.
The FBI also launched an internal inquiry after former NBC News contributor Frank Figliuzzi made comments about Patel’s alleged socializing and work habits last year on “Morning Joe,” two sources familiar with the matter told MS NOW. Patel’s lawsuit against Figliuzzi has been thrown out by a judge who ruled his comments amounted to hyperbole.
FBI reportedly investigated a reporter after she wrote an article Kash Patel didn’t like
The offensive against the free press over the past 16 months has been staggering, but the latest reporting suggests the problem is intensifying.
The FBI doesn’t investigate journalists often, but when it does, it tends to be because a reporter has a confidential source who’s been accused of leaking sensitive information to a news organization. Earlier this year, for example, the FBI searched the home of Hannah Natanson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at The Washington Post, seizing devices as part of a criminal case involving an alleged leak of classified information.
The bureau does not, however, have a record of investigating journalists for writing an article the FBI director doesn’t like. Nevertheless, The New York Times reported:
The F.B.I. began investigating a New York Times reporter last month after she wrote about the bureau’s director, Kash Patel, using bureau personnel to provide his girlfriend with government security and transportation, according to a person briefed on the matter.
Agents interviewed the girlfriend, queried databases for information on the reporter, Elizabeth Williamson, and recommended moving forward to determine whether Ms. Williamson broke federal stalking laws, the person said.
The Times’ report, which has not been independently verified by MS NOW, added that the investigatory steps “prompted concerns among some Justice Department officials who saw the inquiry as retaliation for an article that Mr. Patel and his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, did not like, and who determined there was no legal basis to proceed with the investigation.”
The bureau made no effort to deny the accuracy of the latest reporting, telling the Times on the record that investigators “were concerned” about “aggressive reporting techniques,” though the FBI also confirmed that it is not pursuing a case against the reporter.
That this matter apparently will not proceed further is good but doesn’t change the apparent fact that the FBI launched an investigation into a reporter in response to an article that bothered the bureau’s scandal-plagued director.
To be sure, the administration-wide offensive against the free press over the past 16 months has been staggering — Donald Trump himself has suggested “evening shows” should not be “allowed” to criticize him, adding that reporting he disapproves of is “really illegal” — but this latest news from the Times suggests the problem is intensifying.
For his part, Patel appeared on Fox News on Wednesday night and denied that he misused the FBI because of a story he didn’t like, but quickly added, “The reality is … that this same reporter delivered a baseless story which caused a direct threat of life to my girlfriend. … We are going to protect, not only me and my loved ones, but every American that is threatened.”
Trump Signs Order Expediting Drugs for Mental Health Treatment
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday that he said “directs the FDA to expedite their review of certain psychedelics already designated as breakthrough therapy drugs.” A primary objective of the order is to speed treatment for veterans.
“The executive order I’m signing, we’re actually signing the executive order today, is really a moment,” Trump said. “These treatments are currently in the advanced stages of clinical trials to ensure that they’re both safe and effective for the American patients.”
The president said the executive order would implement “historic reforms to dramatically accelerate access to new medical research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs.” Citing the elevated veteran suicide rate, the president added: “In many cases, these experimental treatments have shown life-changing potential for those suffering from severe mental illness and depression, including our cherished veterans.”
“And the nice part is we’re actually doing this early, but it has been going on. Research has been going on for quite some time. But, you know, usually with things like this, nothing ever happens, no matter how the research ends up, but we’re changing that. This order will clear away unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, improve data sharing among the FDA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and facilitate fast rescheduling of any psychedelic drugs that become FDA approved,” Trump continued.
The president said “in 2024, a study from Stanford University, 30 special operation veterans with traumatic brain injuries underwent — it’s called ibogaine treatment — ibogaine, remember the name,” noting that they “experienced an 80 to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month.”
“In Texas, Republican leaders have already committed $50 million to the ibogaine research. And today, the federal government is making a $50 million research investment in its own. And so that was just approved just last night,” Trump announced.
“We’re also opening a pathway for ibogaine to be administered to desperately ill patients under the right to try law,” Trump said.
“Today’s order will ensure that people suffering from debilitating symptoms might finally have a chance to reclaim their lives and lead a happier life, just lead a happier life,” he added.
Two weeks ago, Trump signed a sweeping executive order aimed at tightening federal oversight of election integrity, directing multiple agencies to expand voter eligibility verification and impose new controls on mail-in ballots.
The order, titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” outlines a series of measures that would increase coordination between federal agencies and state election officials, while also establishing new procedures for how ballots are distributed and tracked through the mail system.
At the core of the directive is a requirement that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working with the Social Security Administration (SSA), compile and transmit lists of individuals confirmed to be U.S. citizens to state election authorities. These “State Citizenship Lists” would be generated using federal databases, including immigration and Social Security records, and updated regularly ahead of federal elections.
According to the order, the lists are intended to help states verify voter eligibility, though inclusion on the list would not automatically register an individual to vote. State laws and procedures would still govern registration requirements.
The order also calls for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize investigations and potential prosecutions related to election law violations. This includes cases involving the distribution of ballots to individuals deemed ineligible to vote, as well as any actors—public or private—who may be involved in producing or sending such ballots.
In a significant expansion of federal involvement in mail voting procedures, the directive instructs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to develop new rules governing the handling of mail-in and absentee ballots. Within 60 days, the Postmaster General is required to initiate a rulemaking process that would standardize ballot tracking and verification measures nationwide.
Under the proposed framework, all mail-in ballots would be required to use specially marked envelopes designated as official election mail. These envelopes must include unique tracking barcodes and meet specific design standards set by USPS to ensure compatibility with automated processing systems.
Trump Says He’s in No Hurry to Make Deal With Iran
The president gave an update on negotiations between Washington and Tehran in a weekend interview.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington. This is Trump's second Cabinet meeting of 2026 and the first since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. Chip Somodevilla/Getty U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview published on May 30, said that he is in no hurry to make a deal with Iran to end the war, saying that neither Washington nor Tehran has signed an agreement yet.
“I’d like to say I’m in a hurry because gasoline prices are going to come tumbling down, but if you’re going to be in a hurry, you’re not going to make a good deal,” Trump told Fox News. “And slowly but surely we’re getting, I think, what we want, and if we don’t get what we want, we’re going to end it a different way.”
For weeks, the United States and Iran have been working to come to an agreement that would end the war, which started in February, as the conflict remains in a ceasefire. On May 29, Trump released the terms of a deal with Tehran and said he would be making a final decision soon.
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Along with demanding that Iran not obtain a nuclear weapon, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the Strait of Hormuz must be opened “in both directions” and that Tehran must “complete the immediate removal and/or detonation of any mines that are left.”
Since the start of the conflict, the strait has effectively remained shut down, sending oil and gas prices surging, as the strait allows for the transit of about a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas. As of May 31, gas prices in the United States averaged $4.34 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.
A White House official told The Epoch Times on May 29 that a White House meeting in the Situation Room on Iran lasted approximately two hours. No details were provided.
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Iran on May 31 claimed that the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down a U.S. military drone that entered its airspace, in comments carried by state-run Tasnim News. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has not publicly commented on the incident.
A top Iranian official, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also said on May 31 that Tehran’s military force is “pushing back the enemy in a great and history-making war,” referring to the United States, according to state-run media. He also claimed that the United States has retreated from the conflict while pushing a narrative of unity in the Iranian regime.
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In his May 29 post on Truth Social, Trump also wrote that mines would be removed from the strait and that ships trapped there may start to go home.
“Say HELLO to your wives, husbands, parents, and families from me, your favorite President!” he said.
On May 30, War Department Secretary Pete Hegseth said the United States would restart attacks against Iran if no deal can be reached and that the military’s ammunition stockpiles are being replenished.
“Our ability to recommence if necessary ... we are more than capable,” Hegseth told reporters in Singapore. “Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, so we’re in a very good place.”
The Pentagon head said that Trump was “patient” and that the president wants to make a “great deal” that ensures that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.
Reuters contributed to this report.
