‘Come at me. Bring it on’: Kash Patel to sue ‘fake news mafia’ over claims of ‘excessive drinking and unexplained absences’
Kash Patel announced Sunday he will file a defamation suit Monday against the Atlantic for a hit piece claiming the FBI director is paranoid about being fired from his position and often drinks alcohol to excess.
“Absolutely, it’s coming tomorrow,” Patel told Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures” on the Fox News Channel. “I will [sue] for defamation.”
“We are not going to take this laying down. You want to attack my character? Come at me. Bring it on. I’ll see you in court.”
“If the fake news mafia isn’t hitting you personally with baseless information in Washington, D.C., then you’re not doing your job. And it’s louder than ever because this FBI, under President Trump’s brilliant leadership in backing the blue and backing law enforcement, this FBI has the most prolific year in crime reduction in United States history. A 20-point percent reduction in the homicide rate, a 20-point drop in opiate overdose deaths. We have found and identified 6,300 child victims …
“We’ve captured right of the top 10 most wanted fugitives in the world to include rapists, murderers, terrorists and narco-traffickers. That’s twice as many as Joe Biden did in four years. President Trump and this FBI got it done in 14 months. So if I’m not doing my job, if I’m not working, then how is it that the FBI has delivered the safest America under President Trump’s leadership in the history of our country.”
EXCLUSIVE: @FBIDirectorKash on Sunday Morning Futures responds to The Atlantic report:
“We are not going to take this laying down… You want to attack my character? Come at me. Bring it on. I’ll see you in court.”
Patel says he will file a defamation lawsuit against The… pic.twitter.com/A1wWSlRyuP
— SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) April 19, 2026
Patel is livid over Sarah Fitzpatrick’s Friday article in the Atlantic titled: “The FBI Director is MIA,” claiming “Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.”
On X, Fitzpatrick noted: “On multiple occasions Patel’s security detail had difficulty waking him because he was seemingly intoxicated, according to info supplied to DOJ and White House officials. A request for ‘breaching equipment’ was made because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors.
Based on Fitzpatrick’s reporting, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office posted an A.I.-generated clip of FBI agents carrying an intoxicated Patel down the street, saying: “JUST SEEN: KASH’S NIGHT OUT!”
JUST SEEN: KASH’S NIGHT OUT! https://t.co/JZeqIBj83g pic.twitter.com/8nT76ofjA4
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) April 18, 2026
The Atlantic claimed in its article: “Some of Patel’s colleagues at the FBI worry that his personal behavior has become a threat to public safety. An FBI director is expected to be available and focused on his job – especially when the nation is at war with a state sponsor of terrorism. Current and former officials told me that they have long worried about what would happen in the event of a domestic terrorist attack while Patel is in office, and they said that their apprehension has increased significantly in the weeks since Trump launched his military campaign against Iran. ‘That’s what keeps me up at night,’ one official said.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Atlantic, “Patel remains a critical player on the administration’s law and order team, and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche indicated, “Patel has accomplished more in 14 months than the previous administration did in four years. Anonymously sourced hit pieces do not constitute journalism.”
New York Post journalist Miranda Devine is ridiculing the Atlantic’s coverage of Patel, saying: “I’ve criticized Kash Patel’s leadership of the FBI, but this Atlantic hit job is a total joke. Half-baked rumors and warmed-over press clippings. Patel must be doing a great job if that’s the worst Jeffrey ‘suckers and losers’ Goldberg and four of his reporters can find with all their ‘prize-winning’ sleuthing.
“And as if the Atlantic has a single source ‘close to the White House’ — let alone two! The Biden White House maybe.”
I’ve criticized Kash Patel’s leadership of the FBI, but this Atlantic hit job is a total joke. Half-baked rumors and warmed-over press clippings. Patel must be doing a great job if that’s the worst Jeffrey “suckers and losers” Goldberg and four of his reporters can find with all… https://t.co/FVUc6NPOob
— Miranda Devine (@mirandadevine) April 18, 2026
Patel shared a correspondence from Ben Williamson, assistant director of public affairs at the FBI, to Fitzpatrick, saying: “Sarah, Top to bottom, this is one of the most absurd things I’ve ever read. Completely false at nearly 100% clip.”
Fitzpatrick appeared Friday on MS NOW’s ‘The Briefing with Jen Psaki” to stand by her reporting.
“I am a very careful, very diligent, award-winning investigative reporter with a history of award-winning work across multiple organizations,” she said. “I stand by every word of this reporting. We have excellent attorneys.”
WATCH:
Psaki: Patel’s advisor said a lawsuit is being filed.
Fitzpatrick: I stand by every word of this reporting. We have excellent attorneys. pic.twitter.com/BHBMHkV9ss
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 18, 2026
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