Sources Tell The Atlantic Miller Pushed Criminal Leak Probes of Reporters; DOJ Calls It 'Absolutely False'

Since Trump announced on Friday, Nov. 6, that Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, effective Monday, Nov. 9, three new fronts have opened: a report on Miller's views about reporters and leaks, a revolt among House Republicans, and a Democratic plan to fight his immigration agenda.

The leak-probe report

The Atlantic reported that Miller has been urging Trump to use the Justice Department to open criminal national-security investigations into journalists who rely on confidential government sources. Three people familiar with the matter told the magazine that the White House and DOJ have discussed arresting journalists to pressure them into naming sources.

According to those people, Wiles pushed back. Miller, they said, argued it wouldn't take long for reporters to give up their sources. The claim rests on anonymous sourcing, and neither Miller nor the administration has confirmed it.

The DOJ called the claims "absolutely false" and said nothing more. A White House spokesperson gave the Daily Beast a broader statement: "unauthorized leaks" will "NEVER be tolerated." The spokesperson added: "They endanger American lives and threaten our national security. Those responsible must be held accountable."

That is the administration's stated position, and leak prosecutions are not new to Washington. Arresting a reporter to compel testimony would be a different order of escalation, and the DOJ says no such plan exists.

The record so far

The administration's earlier moves against reporters are documented. In January, the FBI under Kash Patel raided the home of a Washington Post reporter and seized multiple devices. A judge later ruled the government could not examine the data on them.

In June, the DOJ sought to compel four journalists, three from The Washington Post and one from The Wall Street Journal, to testify before a grand jury about their sources. They were threatened with contempt findings that could mean jail. The subpoenas were shelved after the publications pushed back.

Republicans object

The loudest early pushback came from inside Trump's own party. "Horrible decision," Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital after the announcement. An unnamed Republican lawmaker said they were in "utter disbelief." Multiple House Republicans told the outlet before the announcement that Miller should be fired.

Stutzman tied his objection to the election. "Because of his immigration positions, I just think we ruined a lot of our goodwill with Latino voters," he said.

Another anonymous GOP lawmaker said Miller had ignored repeated warnings in group meetings that enforcement was "backfiring back home" and hurting donors and businesses, even in deep-red districts. "It looked to me like Stephen Miller was only after numbers," the lawmaker said.

That lawmaker also described Miller's counterargument: that the crackdown is what voters asked for. Fox reported that voter analyses show Trump's war in Iran and tariffs played the biggest roles in turning voters away from the GOP, with immigration costing support in key areas, including Hispanic voters in Texas.

Republicans lost both chambers. Fox reported Democrats are on pace for more than 250 House seats and at least 54 in the Senate.

The immigration machine Miller is bringing with him

Miller built the enforcement expansion that Congress funded with roughly $170 billion in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in July 2025. In May 2025 he publicly demanded at least 3,000 ICE arrests per day. He also championed using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador's CECOT prison, which set off a court fight.

After federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January, Miller called him a "domestic terrorist" and an "assassin." He later said in a statement that the officers "may not have been following" protocol. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Miller raised invoking the Insurrection Act afterward.

Democratic winners say they want to rein in what they call Trump's mass deportation machine once they are sworn in. Some want to offer a new immigration reform vision while holding both chambers, according to the Associated Press.

Immigration advocates say Miller's promotion signals escalation. Faisal Al-Juburi, co-CEO of the Texas nonprofit Raíces, said it "guarantees an acceleration of mass deportations." Reddy Neumann Brown PC, an immigration law firm, argues Miller will lean on executive action because a Democratic Congress won't pass new restrictions. It points to the $100,000 H-1B employer fee imposed in September 2025 and the State Department's January suspension of immigrant visa issuance for 75 countries.

What comes next

Miller formally takes the job Monday, Nov. 9. Wiles is moving to the "Trump Political Operation," Trump said in his announcement. The open question is whether the leak-probe report holds up. The DOJ has flatly denied it, while the earlier raid and subpoenas show the department has already gone after reporters' sources in court.