FBI reportedly opens criminal leak investigation into reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick

13 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · May 6

MS Now said Wednesday the case is being handled by FBI insider-threat agents in Huntsville, Alabama, while spokesman Ben Williamson called the claim completely false.
The reported probe followed Fitzpatrick's Atlantic article alleging Director Kash Patel's drinking and absences posed security risks; Patel later filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the magazine.
The Atlantic says it stands by its reporting and will defend its journalists, as editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg warned any such investigation would threaten press freedom and the First Amendment.

Amid surveillance debates, what guarantees confidentiality for sources who expose official misconduct?

When a government agency investigates a reporter, who ensures the investigation itself is lawful?