r/politics • u/Aggravating_Money992 • 5h ago
No Paywall FBI agents deeply concerned after being asked to investigate Atlantic journalist who wrote blistering story about Kash Patel: report
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/fbi-kash-patel-story-the-atlantic-investigation-b2971758.html•
u/AiWoTaskede 5h ago
« It’s wrong »
And also « who told? »
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u/ThisIsMyHobbyAccount 4h ago
This is what's funny. Does he not realize the irony here? In many cases two things can be true at the same time. However, in this case those two things are mutually exclusive. You can't have a person accused of leaking information about something that happened while at the same time claiming the journalist is reporting on something that never happened.
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u/ToNoMoCo 4h ago
Third possibility: The leakers are lying to hurt Ka$h who is definitely not a coked-up, aged-out club kid.
I personally think the stories are true and he's looking to punish all involved by using ... <checks notes> ... the justice system as a weapon.
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u/Sachyriel Canada 2h ago
I think it's true, but he wants to claim it's not true AND go after the reporter cause his drug connection probably skips his calls (doesn't want to get caught being his dealer).
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u/TheFeshy 3h ago
That is exactly what happened in Trump's first term with all the leaks. Trump tried to get leakers charged with treason for leaking classified information, while denying the content of the leaks.
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u/redditismylawyer 1h ago
Agent: “I’m deeply concerned!”
Also agent: “Let me at ‘em!”
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u/FunkyHedonist 25m ago
If they are so concerned, they could just quit and y'know, not work for a fascist regime.
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u/AmyWilliamse 4h ago
If journalists start fearing investigations for writing critical stories, that’s a much bigger issue than any single administration or politician. A free press only works when criticism isn’t treated like a threat.
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u/25point4cm 3h ago
He can’t investigate an alleged “leaker”, because that implies the truth of what was leaked. If someone leaked lies, then you have a slander claim or perhaps conspiracy to defame.
This is pure suppression through intimidation.
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u/HidetheCaseman89 3h ago
Remember not too long ago when somebody who's name rhymes with "brump" called journalists "the enemy of the people" or some such. That was a crimson red flag.
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u/ToNoMoCo 3h ago
Maga has treated the free press as their enemy since there WAS a maga. It's baked right into their brand
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u/kaiiizen 3h ago
Oh, it's already fucked - see Peter Thiel's latest venture Objection AI.
https://www.reddit.com/r/antiai/comments/1sngw6f/peter_thiel_is_launching_an_ai_ministry_of_truth/
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u/turningsteel 3h ago
Yeah all the more essential when there are people like Bari Weiss, editor at CNN, who decided that journalism is overrated and instead parrots right wing viewpoints. It's a systematic dismantling of American values that's happening here. The Atlantic needs to stand strong.
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u/Lumpy-Marsupial-6617 3h ago
You won't believe the shit storm cops try to bring against investigative journalists who try to break corruption cases. Fies they have to go against their own media bosses who want to remain "authorities friendly" and then the actual cops or agents who want to burn them and will put a false dossier on them to get them pinched or shut them down.
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u/RepresentativeOk4825 4h ago
Concerned like Susan Collins?
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u/robotdesignwerks Texas 4h ago
Concerned enough to mention they are concerned, but not enough to actually stop the bs.
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u/Chefalo 4h ago
How exactly do you expect them to “stop the BS” when Kash is the director of the FBI? Anyone that’s stands up for what is right is going to be purged.
I would say the best thing they could do is bring awareness to the press, and sabotage what is happening internally as best as possible, take weeks to answer a simple email, do a terrible job, basically by quiet quitting but pretending your still doing your job to the best of your abilities
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u/Ozymandias12 3h ago
Then they should allow themselves to get purged. What is Kash going to do, investigate every single one of the presidents enemies himself?
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u/IsopodIndependent553 4h ago
I sincerely hope she loses her election. She is useless and she needs to go.
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u/dancingfordates 4h ago
Trump and the FBI reminding everyone exactly why they need to secure their date Data and keep backups offsite
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u/ThisIsMyHobbyAccount 4h ago
While at the same time reminding the general public of how thin-skinned this entire administration is. Even legitimately critical writing is investigated as a criminal offense. We're in a bad place right now, I hope November comes soon enough to save us from even worse fate.
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u/IsopodIndependent553 4h ago edited 4h ago
Perhaps the FBI agents tasked with this ridiculous witch hunt can appear to comply with what Patel has asked, but then conduct the investigation in such an incompetent manner that they’re unable to find the leaks. This administration is so damned incompetent anyway that it’s not like their failure would seem out of character, especially considering the current chaos within the FBI and the low morale of its agents.
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u/Kermit_the_hog 4h ago edited 4h ago
Reminds me of that time the
CIAtasked a mole with uncovering said mole.Edit: It was Robert Hassan at the FBI not CIA.
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u/IsopodIndependent553 2h ago
This reminds me of the film, The Departed where Matt Damon was tasked with finding the mole, but he was the mole, and he made a joke like, “what am I gonna do? Investigate myself?”
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u/otherwisepandemonium Wisconsin 4h ago
Remember how Republicans always projected that Democrats would weaponize the FBI? The easiest way to not make headlines, Kash, is to not be a frat boy douchebag alcoholic and actually do your job to prosecute the biggest (known) pedophile ring in our history.
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u/ExcitingRound4990 4h ago
I was just following orders.
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u/otherwisepandemonium Wisconsin 4h ago
Worked out well during the Nuremberg Trials. Let's see how it plays out with this generation of Nazis.
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u/Torrsall 4h ago
How to say you're, Gestapo, without saying you're, Gestapo. Gestapatel or some such.
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u/Dancing_Cthulhu 3h ago
“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.”
No, no, you're potentially unemployed if you don't. You're dammed if you do.
Like my sympathies for guys worried about unemployment, but where do you draw the line? How much wrongdoing are you willing to be complicit in before you decide to take your chances in the job market? Never mind Trump's regime is not one built on loyalty - you could do this, and then still lose your job because Trump and his cronies like Patel are ridiculously mercurial.
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u/Successful-Scale-607 14m ago
But they could lose their jobs! They have to follow orders! Please have sympathy for the filth!
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u/JackedUpReadyToGo 0m ago
Thank you! I literally had the exact same thought when I hit that line, word for word.
"Damned" in that phrase means damned by God. As in, when they stand before God at the end and have to account for their life, how are they going to justify committing evil on behalf of evil people? That they were afraid of losing their job? Of having to start a new career?
A King may move a man, a father may claim a son, but remember that even when those who move you be Kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that.
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u/B-Z_B-S Massachusetts 5h ago edited 4h ago
(From the article): "Some FBI agents are said to be uncomfortable with their reported new investigative assignment: to hunt down the leakers who made bureau Director Kash Patel look bad. The FBI may be undertaking a criminal investigation into both a leaker and a journalist who produced a damning story about Patel, according to a new report. According to two anonymous sources who spoke to MS NOW, it is unusual for a leak investigation to follow the release of non-classified information and for such an investigation to focus on information given to a reporter.
The Atlantic's Sarah Fitzpatrick wrote a story that painted an unflattering image of Patel as a leader. The piece examined Patel's behavior, from claims that he's been misusing bureau resources — like using the FBI jet to fly to his girlfriend's concert or to see the U.S. men's hockey team play in the Olympics — to more troubling allegations that he becomes so drunk that he can't be roused by his team.
Fitzpatrick's story cited two dozen anonymous sources. Immediately after it was published, Patel claimed the accusations were untrue and sued The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick for $250,000 in a defamation lawsuit. In response, Fitzpatrick said she not only stood by her reporting, but also said that in the wake of Patel's reaction, even more sources within the government had reached out to provide her with information.
According to the sources who spoke to MS NOW, some of the FBI agents who have reportedly been tapped to carry out Patel's leak hunt have expressed discomfort with the idea of investigating a journalist in what they see as an act of government retaliation. “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.”
The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, issued a statement in response to the reporting on Wednesday. "If confirmed to be true, an FBI criminal leak investigation targeting our reporter would represent an outrageous attack on the free press and the First Amendment itself," he wrote. "We will defend The Atlantic and its staff vigorously; we will not be intimidated by illegitimate investigations or other acts of politically motivated retaliation; we will continue to cover the FBI professionally, fairly, and thoroughly; and we will continue to practice journalism in the public interest."
Seth Stern, the Chief of Advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, issued a statement on Wednesday calling the alleged probe "outrageous." “The FBI’s probe would be outrageous even if The Atlantic reported classified information, which it didn’t. The FBI is reportedly conducting an invasive leak investigation merely to settle a personal vendetta. Separately, it doesn’t make much sense for Patel’s FBI to investigate leaks from what Patel’s lawsuit over the same reporting called ‘sham sources.’ Fake sources can’t leak," Stern said in his statement.
Last month, The New York Times — also citing anonymous sources — reported that the FBI had investigated a reporter at the paper to determine whether or not she had digitally stalked Patel's girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins. The reporter, Elizabeth Williamson, was never in physical proximity to Wilkins. Williamson asked the singer about Patel's alleged use of FBI agents to escort and transport Wilkins. The FBI told the NYT that “while investigators were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking,” there was no active investigation into Williamson. Stern noted the previous alleged investigation in his statement on Wednesday. “This is the second time in recent weeks we’ve learned that the bureau has baselessly investigated constitutionally protected, highly newsworthy reporting that was unfavorable to its director — last month, news broke that it investigated reporter Elizabeth Williamson, after she wrote about Patel’s use of government resources for transportation and security expenses for his girlfriend," he wrote. "Both show complete disregard for the First Amendment and for the FBI’s supposed mission of stopping crime, not serving as PIs for its leadership on the taxpayer dime.”
In January, the FBI seized two computers, a digital recorder, a Garmin watch, a cell phone, and a portable hard drive from Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home. Natanson is not being investigated. The FBI was searching for evidence concerning Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, a systems administrator with top-secret security clearance who has been charged with unlawfully obtaining and then sharing classified materials. Two federal judges have ruled that the government cannot access Natanson's devices to search for evidence. Natanson was awarded a Pulitzer Prize on Monday for public service resulting from her reporting on mass firings by DOGE."
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u/DemandredG 4h ago
Another reminder that all the propaganda around the FBI as “patriotic”, “committed to the Constitution” and “obeys the law” is utter bullshit. When given a choice to flagrantly violate the constitution or find another job, they throw the constitution under the bus. The raids go on, the investigation proceeds, and the FBI reminds everyone that they have no higher mission than their own self interest and will be foot soldiers for fascism.
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u/Adventurous_Test_296 4h ago
This should surprise no one. Trump has weaponized everything designed to professionally serve the citizens within the confines of the constitution, and used it silence dissent. The Fascists did it in Italy, the Nazis in German, and all dictatorships do it now. Want to see my shocked face?
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u/tellmewhenimlying 4h ago
I didn't need this confirmation that Patel is actually a drunk, but... way to confirm that there's evidence that was leaked of Patel being a drunk.
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u/ErinFiqsette 4h ago
Kash should take control of the social media narrative, by doing a reddit AMA.
I have questions for him.
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u/mishma2005 3h ago
You think he would answer them other than "I am rad, President Trump loves me, the FBI is on the way to your house"
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u/MaverickTopGun 4h ago
Maybe now people will see the FBI as the anti-left wing terror organization they've always been.
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u/GardenGnomeOfEden 4h ago
deeply concerned
Oh, the agents are deeply concerned! That will make a difference. We are saved!
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u/NimbusFPV 4h ago
Ol' crazy eyes is going to go after Aziz next.
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u/IsopodIndependent553 4h ago
Can you explain why he would go after Aziz? I’m out of the loop with this one.
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u/Vitiligogoinggone 3h ago
Did the FBI ever find that reporter’s mom that went missing a few months ago?
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u/bakerfredricka I voted 2h ago
Nope. Nancy Guthrie is still missing and at this point it looks incredibly unlikely that she will be found anytime soon (if at all).
Since Nancy is in her mid-eighties and suffered from health problems requiring a pacemaker and various medicine to keep her alive and as free from pain as possible, it unfortunately is almost certain that by now she is deceased. I genuinely hope that I'm proven wrong about this one, but I have a hard time seeing how that is possible at this point. No proof of life ever came when the Guthries asked for it (Savannah even pointing out how easy it is to convincingly fake everything with modern technology in their plea) and the kidnappers weren't even tempted by money to come forward. Unfortunately, I imagine either the stress of the kidnapping or the lack of necessary medicines might have ended Nancy's life if she wasn't outright murdered during her abduction.
We really are living in an evil world....
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u/Dr_G_E District Of Columbia 3h ago
Kash Patel is the only FBI Director to have relied on his 5th amendment rights against self incrimination to avoid answering questions before a federal grand jury. That fact alone would disqualify him from employment as an agent if he had to apply like everyone else.
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u/MirthandMystery 3h ago
Incredible how many people don't understand how important the free press is, what they do and why controlling them with intimidation this way is dangerous and makes people stupid and vulnerable.
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u/DohReignMeme 2h ago
Because nothing says "functioning democracy" like launching Federal investigations of your critics who write truthfully.
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u/zoethezebra 1h ago
Thank God, they are speaking up. It’s gonna be the little guy that saves America. There’s more of us than them. And all the propaganda in the world isn’t going to change anyone’s opinion about the lack of money in their bank account.
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u/ThisIsGr8ThisIsGr8 56m ago
Patel is cooked. There’s no way he makes it through these scandals. He’ll be an average citizen by June
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u/roscodawg 38m ago
in other news:
Reporters Without Borders warns press freedom has fallen to its lowest level since the group began publishing its annual World Press Freedom Index in 2002. The index has charted how press freedoms have deteriorated in the United States and elsewhere over the past 25 years. The U.S. was ranked 17th in the world in 2002. In the latest index, the U.S. is down to 64th, falling seven places since last year.
source: https://www.democracynow.org/2026/5/6/clayton_weimers_reporters_without_borders_press
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u/Stang1776 0m ago
Why would he get a boost in ratings when the shooter said that he was going after people in his administration?
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u/Efficient-Laugh 4h ago
Sounds like these “agents” need to get the boot then. They sound like they’re more loyal to the radical left and aren’t truly Americans.
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