FBI Director Kash Patel has threatened to sue the Atlantic over a recent story detailing alleged concerns in the bureau over his drinking and absences at work.
The report, published on Friday, described a pattern of heavy drinking both in Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, where Patel reportedly spends some of his weekends. Patel’s drinking allegedly led to morning meetings being moved and his security detail struggling to wake him up. In one instance, breaching tools were requested after Patel was unresponsive behind locked doors.
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Patel blasted the story after it dropped, immediately vowing to pursue legal action.
“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 posted on X Friday.
He addressed the report again on Saturday, penning a “memo to the fake news” in response.
“The only time I’ll ever actually be concerned about the hit piece lies you write about me will be when you stop,” he posted on X. “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.”
It is the latest claim to beset Patel, who has faced scrutiny over his leadership of the bureau as well as his personal travel.
But the drinking allegation is one that has apparently resurfaced.
Jesse Binnall, who is representing Patel, reposted a three-page letter sent to the Atlantic before the story was published that said the claims were previously made in May 2025 and already under “active defamation litigation.”
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Erica Knight, a media adivser for the FBI, also claimed “every real DC reporter chased, couldn’t verify, and passed on” the allegations.
“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,” she posted on X. “Every serious DC reporter passed on this. Sarah Fitzpatrick and Jeffrey Goldberg printed it anyway. Lawsuit is being filed.”
