FBI Director Kash Patel said he would file a lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine for defamation over a story claiming that he drinks alcohol excessively and has unexplained absences.

“see you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court… But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up,” Patel wrote on X.

“The Atlantic published a ‘bombshell’ on Director Patel tonight that every real DC reporter chased, couldn’t verify, and passed on. Here’s reality. Since being sworn in, Director Patel has taken a grand total of 17 days off — half as much time off as Comey and Wray — and he spends twice as much time in the office as either of them ever did. The so-called ‘intoxication incidents’ The Atlantic breathlessly reports have happened exactly ZERO times,” Erica Knight wrote.

“Under his tenure: 67,000 arrests nationwide. Violent crime arrests up 112%. Murder rate down 20%. 1,800 criminal gangs dismantled. 2,200+ kilos of fentanyl seized — enough to kill 178 million Americans. 300 human traffickers arrested. 6,200+ missing children recovered. 1,700 online predators arrested — a 490% increase. 8 of the Top Ten Most Wanted captured, double the previous four years combined. 1,000+ agents redeployed from DC bureaucracy back to field offices chasing criminals,” she continued.

“The Atlantic’s ‘reporting’? Fabricated stories about ‘breaching equipment’ that was never requested. Intoxication claims with not a single witness willing to put their name on one. A paragraph — I’m not kidding — about the FBI Store not carrying ‘intimidating enough’ merchandise. Every serious DC reporter passed on this. Sarah Fitzpatrick and Jeffrey Goldberg printed it anyway. Lawsuit is being filed,” she added.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Hill shared further:

The magazine published a story on Friday titled “The FBI Director Is MIA,” citing conversations with more than two dozen people, including current and former FBI officials, members of Congress, hospitality industry workers and others.

“Speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information and private conversations, they described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability,” reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick wrote.

The report stated that Patel has been known “to drink to the point of obvious intoxication” in front of White House and other Trump administration staff and that on multiple occasions within the past year, “members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated.”

Officials were cited saying that the FBI director had been “an irregular presence” at the agency’s headquarters and was “often away or unreachable.”

Fitzpatrick also wrote that Patel “became convinced that he had been locked out” after struggling to log in to an internal computer system earlier this month and “panicked, frantically calling aides and allies to announce that he had been fired by the White House,” citing nine people familiar with his outreach, two of whom described it as a “freak-out.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche both defended Patel in statements to The Atlantic, with Blanche saying the FBI director “has accomplished more in 14 months than the previous administration did in four years.”

“Memo to the fake news – the only time I’ll ever actually be concerned about the hit piece lies you write about me will be when you stop. 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,” Patel said.

Fox News has more:

FBI Director Kash Patel said Sunday he planned to file a lawsuit against The Atlantic by Monday, telling Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that legal action would follow a report alleging misconduct, including “excessive drinking.”

Patel made the announcement during an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures,” where he directly confirmed his intent to pursue legal action against the publication.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Absolutely, it’s coming tomorrow,” Patel said when asked about whether he would officially file a lawsuit.

The dispute stems from a recent report by The Atlantic that cited anonymous sources alleging Patel engaged in “excessive drinking,” “erratic” behavior and had “unexplained absences” during his tenure leading the FBI. The article, written by staff reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, relied on accounts from current and former officials and others familiar with Patel’s conduct.

Patel rejected those claims during the interview, framing the report as politically motivated and baseless.

“If the fake news mafia isn’t hitting you personally with baseless information in Washington, D.C., then you’re not doing your job,” Patel said.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.