A Dangerous New Attack on Press Freedom

The Trump administration’s war against freedom of the press has reached a startling new low.According to a report this morning from MS NOW, the FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on my Atlantic colleague Sarah Fitzpatrick, related to an article she published last month about Director Kash Patel. Drawing on some two dozen sources, Fitzpatrick reported that people inside the administration and the bureau are deeply concerned about what they described as Patel’s unexplained absences and excessive drinking.Patel filed a lawsuit against Fitzpatrick and The Atlantic following the story’s publication, alleging defamation and demanding $250 million. The Atlantic says that it stands by Fitzpatrick’s reporting, and legal commentators from across the political spectrum have concluded that the case is weak and likely to fail. Editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg responded to the MS NOW report with this statement: “If confirmed to be true, this would represent an outrageous attack on the free press and the First Amendment itself. 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.”Filing a flimsy civil lawsuit as a private citizen is Patel’s right, though it is also plainly an inappropriate attempt to smother unflattering reporting. But if Patel’s bureau has launched a criminal investigation into a reporter, employing the power of the federal government, that would be a significant escalation. An FBI spokesperson denied that a probe exists, telling MS NOW, “This is completely false. No such investigation like this exists and the reporter you mention is not being investigated at all.”But MS NOW reports that some of the FBI agents assigned to the case are upset. “They know they are not supposed to do this,” a source told