House Democrats launched an investigation into FBI Director Kash Patel’s alleged alcohol use, including an alcohol abuse survey.
In a letter to Patel, signed by 18 House Democrats, the group excoriated the FBI director over his alleged abuse of alcohol while on the job, saying he consumed alcohol “to the point of illness.” In light of the allegations, the letter attached an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test questionnaire, containing 10 questions related to alcohol use.
Recommended Stories
“Given the urgency and gravity of the risks to our nation and our people,” the letter reads, “we request that you fill out and submit to Congress the results of the attached Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)—a 10-question screening tool considered the ‘gold standard’ in the U.S. and around the world for assessing harmful patterns of alcohol consumption and routinely used by individuals to help identify hazardous drinking behaviors—along with a sworn statement attesting that your answers are true under the penalty of perjury.”
Some of the questions in the questionnaire include “how many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking,” “how often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected from you because of drinking,” “how often during the last year have you needed a first drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session,” and “how often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking?”
The answer portion contains a list of options ranging in severity, which must be circled.
KASH PATEL FILES $250 MILLION DEFAMATION LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ATLANTIC OVER DRINKING ALLEGATIONS
Patel has been under intense scrutiny after a report from the Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick alleged a pattern of alcohol abuse from the FBI director, causing him to be frequently unavailable and threatening to delay key, time-sensitive decisions. He filed a defamation lawsuit against the outlet in response, denying the reporting.
“I never listen to the fake news mafia,” Patel said during Tuesday’s briefing at the Justice Department. “When they get louder, it just means I’m doing my job.”
