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Kash Patel, director of the FBI has filed a lawsuit againstThe Atlantic over denied allegations published last week. The claims include that he has ‘excessive drinking’ habits and has been unavailable at times while on the job, as well as other more general behavioural concerns.
Patel vigorously denies all claims against him.
The boss of America’s intelligence service is seeking $250 million in damages in a defamation lawsuit at the US district court for the District of Columbia.
What did The Atlantic say about Kash Patel?
Last Friday (17 April), The Atlantic released a report accusing the FBI boss as being ‘MIA’ (missing in action). The outlet said Patel had a ‘freak-out’ the week prior, due to a computer error and claimed he is paranoid of being fired.
The magazine also claimed Patel drinks to excess regularly, concerning officials within the FBI and beyond. The report says he is known to get obviously intoxicated at Washington clubs, which violates FBI conduct. Furthermore, at the beginning of his time leading the FBI, meetings had to be rescheduled on a few occasions to accommodate his drinking at night, The Atlantic claims.
The story also suggests that Trump, who’s sober, was unhappy with Patel after he was seen drinking with the U.S Olympic hockey team in February. The president reportedly called Patel to express his discontent after a video emerged online of him chugging beer.
What was the backlash?
Patel responded to the report on X by saying “see you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court” on Saturday (18 April). With this, he included a screenshot of an email from the FBI’s assistant director, Ben Williamson, to the Atlantic journalist who penned the piece, Sarah Fitzpatrick, saying that “top to bottom, this is one of the most absurd things I’ve ever read."
A few hours later, he posted on X: “keep talking, it means I’m doing exactly what I should be doing… no amount of BS you write will ever deter this FBI from making America safe again.”
Also on Saturday, Patel’s attorney posted on X that he sent a letter to The Atlantic warning them not to post, saying the claims are “categorically false and defamatory.” He added, “see you in court.”
Despite this, Fitzpatrick, the author of the Atlantic piece, maintains the truth of her story, saying she stands by “every word” of the article. A spokesperson for the Atlantic added that they “vigorously defend” their journalists over this “meritless lawsuit”.
This comes after a leaked assessment of Patel was seized by the New York Post in November 2025, in which multiple internal sources described the director as inexperienced, one specifically stating he is “not very good” and “may be insecure”.
Indy100 has reached out to both Kash Patel and The Atlantic for further comment. A spokesperson for The Atlantic responded: "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit."
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