FBI Director Kash Patel is reportedly experiencing intense anxiety, prompting him to initiate polygraph tests for over 20 current and former members of his security team, alongside several IT personnel.
This startling development emerges as Patel’s role within former President Trump’s circle appears to be at risk, following a slew of reports criticizing his alleged issues with alcohol.
Speculation is mounting regarding Patel’s potential removal by the Republican leader, especially after the abrupt dismissal of former Attorney General Pam Bondi last month.
Amid a flood of negative media coverage concerning his behavior, Patel is determined to root out potential sources of leaks within his team, according to two individuals who have been briefed on the situation.
Additionally, Patel has reportedly been steering clear of meetings this week, including those with several top officials within the FBI, as reported by sources to MS Now.
Anonymous sources reveal that Patel has mandated polygraph tests for his travel team and staff with access to confidential information, aiming to uncover whether any have been in contact with journalists.
The demand for lie-detector tests follows a report by MS Now that Director Patel ordered a criminal leak investigation into a story published by The Atlantic last month.
That article described Patel as drinking to excess and being ‘difficult to rouse’ the following morning.
Sources told MS Now that FBI agents were worried about opening the probe, which involved examining the contacts of a reporter who was gathering evidence for their story.
Ultimately, the agents believed the investigation couldn’t be justified, and they were worried he would retaliate if they didn’t follow their orders.
Patel has launched a defamation suit against The Atlantic after the magazine alleged he suffered from ‘unexplained absences’ and ‘inebriation’
Patel discusses the latest at the FBI with Fox News host Sean Hannity
In an appearance on Sean Hannity’s podcast this Tuesday, the 46-year-old FBI lead didn’t just stick to standard law enforcement talk
This isn’t a first for Patel.
A person familiar with another incident months ago told MS Now that dozens of agents were also forced to take polygraph tests after reports that were made public about Patel requesting to get a gun.
That report was sent to Quantico.
A spokesperson for Patel is pushing back on the ‘false’ narrative that the director is panicked about keeping his job behind the scenes.
‘The only people in panic are the ‘panicans’ in the media pushing out false stories because they spend zero time covering the record-breaking success in reduction in crime at this FBI,’ Williamson added.
On social media, the director pushed back against his detractors, dismissing the criticism as ‘baseless’ and pledging to remain ‘laser-focused’ on his goal of ‘rebuilding this Bureau from the ground up.’
Patel has launched a defamation suit against The Atlantic after the magazine alleged he suffered from ‘unexplained absences’ and ‘inebriation.’
He has strongly denied these reports, which have added to the building scrutiny he faced earlier this month.
Patel, who used to be one of the FBI’s most vocal critics, has set about remaking the bureau, including firing senior agents and reassigning others.
When he began his tenure, he promised a ‘wave of transparency,’ including on the investigation into the possible ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.
Back in July of last year, Patel revealed a discovery of a stash of documents sealed away in ‘burn bags’ in a secret room of the bureau.
Patel has launched a defamation suit against The Atlantic after the magazine alleged he suffered from ‘unexplained absences’ and ‘inebriation’
FBI Director Kash Patel is being described by staff as being in ‘full panic mode,’ requesting polygraph tests for more than 20 past and present members of his security detail and several information technology staff
The documents consist of the classified annex to former Special Counsel John Durham’s final report on the origins of the FBI investigation into Donald Trump’s original campaign, which includes the underlying intelligence he reviewed, a spokesperson for the FBI told the Daily Mail.
Durham examined the FBI’s investigation into potential links between Trump campaign officials and Russia during the 2016 election and concluded the FBI should have not launched the investigation given the evidence it had at the time.
A person familiar with the discovery speculated to the Daily Mail that it was likely an oversight by previous directors that prevented the documents from being destroyed.
