Kash Patel Reportedly Ordered Polygraphs of Over Two Dozen Staff Members Amid Leak Fears

Kash Patel‘s troubles at the helm of the FBI are deepening.

On the heels of Globe‘s report that Patel was facing internal backlash over ordering agents to investigate Atlantic journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick, new reporting from MS NOW states that the embattled FBI director has taken an even more aggressive approach to rooting out what he perceives as disloyalty within his own ranks.

Patel, 46, allegedly ordered polygraph examinations of more than two dozen people — including current and former members of his security detail and information technology staff — in an effort to identify who among his inner circle may have spoken to reporters, MS NOW published on Thursday, May 7, citing two people briefed on the matter.

The directive came as Patel reportedly walled himself off from senior bureau leaders this week, avoiding meetings with key operational figures inside the FBI, per the report. Three people familiar with his recent behavior told the outlet the move has raised internal alarm about whether the director is staying informed on pressing national security threats.

FBI spokesman Ben Williamson pushed back on the characterization, telling the outlet, “I’ve been in the usual operational leader meetings with him every day this week … it’s false.” Williamson, who did not comment on the polygraph orders, dismissed the coverage as the work of what he called “panicans” in the media.

However, this isn’t the first time Patel is said to have deployed polygraphs on a wide scale. Sources told the outlet that dozens of agents were subjected to the same treatment months ago after details about a request Patel made to obtain a gun became public.

The pattern of behavior adds another chapter to what has been a rocky tenure for the FBI director. Patel used a government jet for personal travel, including a trip to Milan for the Winter Olympics, where he was later filmed celebrating with the U.S. men’s ice hockey team by chugging beer in the locker room. The outlet reported that the images angered President Donald Trump, who told Patel he disapproved of the optics.