Kash Patel Sues The Atlantic Over Report That He’s Always Drunk

FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation suit against The Atlantic Monday, after a sweeping report detailing his excessive drinking and unexplained absences.

In a 19-page filing, lawyers for Patel alleged that The Atlantic had published an “article replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office.”

The Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick reported over the weekend that Patel was known to drink in excess, routinely delayed meetings and time-sensitive operations, and was often unreachable, raising concerns about the potential for foreign coercion and other national security risks. His behavior had also grown increasingly erratic as he became worried he might lose his job.

The article referenced Patel’s “alcohol-fueled nights” in Washington and Las Vegas, which resulted in rescheduled meetings. The director’s “spotty attendance” in the office caused delays in time-sensitive decision-making. His “delays resulted in normally unflappable agents ‘losing their shit,’” Fitzpatrick wrote. Patel’s rather elusive behavior even prompted a request for actual “breaching equipment,” normally used by SWAT, because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors.

The article also described a “freak out” earlier this month when, unable to log into his work computer in the morning, Patel made frantic phone calls claiming he’d been fired. In fact, it was a routine technical issue that was quickly resolved.

Patel had responded to the story by simply saying: “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court—bring your checkbook.”

The lawsuit pointed to the reliance on anonymous sources who were merely “partisans with axes to grind,” as well as a lack of primary documentation, arguing that the article was “a deliberate and malicious smear.” Of course, the filing of his massive lawsuit now invites extensive discovery into Patel’s conduct.

In a statement Monday, The Atlantic said: “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”

This story has been updated.