The FBI has launched an investigation into “dishonest leakers” within the bureau who have recently disseminated “false information” to the media, information that officials claim has compromised the mission of the nation’s top law enforcement agency. This internal probe comes just weeks after longtime Trump ally Kash Patel, who held several national security roles during the first Trump administration, assumed the role of FBI director.
FBI sources told Just the News that the investigation into media leaks will be comprehensive and forceful in tracking down anyone who has, or may, share what they described as misleading and inaccurate information with the press. The probe could potentially include measures such as seizing phones, administering polygraph tests, and making criminal referrals.
“Director Patel’s FBI will not tolerate the dissemination of false information designed to both undermine the FBI’s mission and put our brave agents at security risk,” FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said. “Dishonest leakers will be identified and dealt with appropriately.” TThe FBI has canceled its subscription to the Wall Street Journal, which had published several articles based on anonymous sources in recent days.
Williamson told Just the News that “the FBI will no longer use precious American tax dollars to help spread false information about our agents who put themselves in harm’s way.” In late February, The Wall Street Journal ran an article titled “Kash Patel’s Whirlwind Start at the FBI.” Last month, Patel was confirmed by the Senate as the head of the FBI in a narrow 51-to-49 vote.
The new FBI director previously served as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council during the first Trump Administration, and he also acted as the principal deputy to the acting director of national intelligence in Trump’s first term. Earlier in his career, he worked as senior counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he helped debunk the unfounded Trump-Russia collusion narrative.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal published another report, citing “people familiar” with the matter, that Patel requested a secure landline for a direct connection to Trump’s Oval Office. The outlet also reported that “people familiar” told the outlet that “Patel has inquired about hiring his own private security detail. The director already gets a retinue of FBI agents tasked with ensuring his safety, but Patel asked about having a separate detail, in an apparent suggestion that he didn’t fully trust the FBI agents.” FBI sources denied that this incident occurred, and Williamson told Just the News that this assertion was simply untrue.
The Journal, again citing “people familiar” with the matter, also wrote on Friday that “in briefings, senior Justice Department officials have focused on immigration and gang violence, top Trump priorities, and have fewer questions about the threats from China and Russia that used to dominate the meetings.” Williamson reiterated that the claim was “absolutely false.” Just the News has examined internal written directives from Patel, which emphasize the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party and the FBI’s ongoing need to spotlight this risk.
Last week, for instance, Patel announced on X (formerly Twitter) the arrests of two active-duty U.S. Army soldiers and one former soldier, who are charged in an alleged espionage scheme to provide sensitive national defense information to China. Patel wrote that “these individuals have been charged with stealing America’s defense intelligence capabilities and empowering adversaries like China in betrayal of our country” and “they will now face American justice.”