FBI Director Kash Patel denied Tuesday that the bureau is investigating journalists over negative reporting about his leadership, responding to mounting Democratic criticism as the Trump administration simultaneously ramps up a separate crackdown on classified war leaks to the media.
The issue erupted during a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing just hours after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche warned that reporters could face subpoenas in investigations involving classified disclosures. Democrats accused Patel of blurring the line between legitimate national security leak investigations and efforts to root out embarrassing internal disclosures about his leadership that did not involve classified information.
Sen. @PattyMurray (D-WA): “Can you commit…that no agent hours have been pulled from other work like counterterrorism…to work on matters related to negative press about you?”
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FBI Dir. Kash Patel: “This FBI is targeting and investigating no journalists.” pic.twitter.com/AU77HsE3Qn
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 12, 2026
“This FBI is targeting and investigating no
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