FBI Director Kash Patel vows to sue The Atlantic for defamation over report about alleged excessive drinking

The United States Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Kash Patel, has threatened to sue U.S. media outlet The Atlantic, over an article that alleges he drinks excessively, is unreachable at times and is paranoid about losing his job.

On Apr. 17, he published a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) in which he addressed The Atlantic and the report's author, Sarah Fitzpatrick, saying "see you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court."

What did the article allege?

The article, which was published on Apr. 17, alleged that Patel is known for drinking to the point of intoxication at clubs in Washington D.C. and his home city of Las Vegas, thereby violating FBI conduct standards and leaving him, as the country's top law enforcement official, open to coercion and intimidation, The Independent reported.

Patel's alleged excessive drinking has also reportedly angered U.S. President Donald Trump, who does not drink and whose own brother died from alcoholism-related health issues.

According to The Atlantic, Trump supposedly called Patel to express his displeasure after Patel was seen drinking beer with members of the U.S. hockey team after they won their Olympic gold medal match against Canada.

His purported conduct has also sparked concern among officials about what might happen during a national crisis, such as a terror attack, if Patel is otherwise indisposed.

Responses from the White House

The article stated:

"White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told [Fitzpatrick] in a statement that under Donald Trump and Patel, “crime across the country has plummeted to the lowest level in more than 100 years and many high profile criminals have been put behind bars. Director Patel remains a critical player on the Administration’s law and order team.”

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told [Fitzpatrick] in a statement, “Patel has accomplished more in 14 months than the previous administration did in four years. Anonymously sourced hit pieces do not constitute journalism.”

The FBI responded with a statement, attributed to Patel: “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court—bring your checkbook."

The Atlantic stands by article

On Apr. 18 Patel put out another tweet saying, "Keep talking, it means I’m doing exactly what I should be doing. And no amount of BS you write will ever deter this FBI from making America safe again and taking down the criminals you love."

A lawyer representing Patel, Jesse Binnall, called the article "categorically false and defamatory".

Fitzpatrick has stood her ground.

Speaking to MS Now, she said:

"I am a very careful, very diligent, award-winning investigative reporter with a history of award-winning work across multiple organisations.

I stand by every word of this reporting. We have excellent attorneys."

Top photo via Reuters.