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 bombshell report comes as Patel's future in Trump's inner orbit remains uncertain after a series of scathing reports into his alleged drinking habits. 

He currently faces rumors of an impending dismissal by the Republican President after ex-Attorney General Pam Bondi's sudden firing last month.

As a result of a series of negative press articles about his conduct, Patel hopes to find and eliminate any leakers on his team, two people briefed on the plans allege.

The FBI lead is also reportedly avoiding meetings this week, including several leaders in the bureau, sources tell MS Now.

The FBI director reportedly ordered polygraph examinations for his travel team and staff with access to sensitive information to determine if they have communicated with reporters, according to sources who requested anonymity to avoid professional retribution.

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.

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.

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.