Overview
- MS NOW reported Wednesday that an FBI insider‑threat unit in Huntsville opened a leak investigation focused on Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, a claim the bureau publicly denied.
- Insider‑threat cases generally target officials suspected of leaking classified secrets, so a probe centered on a journalist would be highly unusual.
- People familiar with the reported inquiry said some agents assigned to it expressed concern about investigating a reporter and feared career risk for refusing.
- The Atlantic the same day published new reporting that Kash Patel distributed personalized Woodford Reserve bottles engraved with his name and title to FBI staff and civilians, with some cases flown on Department of Justice aircraft.
- Patel is suing The Atlantic for $250 million over the April 17 story on his alleged drinking and absences, which the magazine defends and says it has further corroborated.