Kash Patel Sues The Atlantic Over Report Alleging Excessive Drinking And Absences

FBI Director Kash Patel revenge a lawsuit Monday against The Atlantic mag complete a communicative it published Friday that alleged he drinks to excess and has had unexplained absences astatine nan bureau.

His attorneys allege successful nan suit that nan communicative is simply a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory deed piece," and Patel is seeking $250 cardinal from nan magazine.

The report's opening anecdote said that Patel was locked retired of an soul machine strategy astatine nan FBI connected April 10, which convinced nan FBI head that he had been fired by nan White House, prompting him to telephone aides and allies, nan mag reported, citing 9 group acquainted pinch his outreach.

In nan lawsuit, revenge successful nan U.S. District Court for nan District of Columbia, Patel’s lawyers confirmed that nan FBI head had been locked retired of nan bureau's machine strategy connected April 10, describing nan rumor arsenic a “routine method problem logging into a authorities system, which was quickly fixed.” That incident quickly sparked inquires from galore news outlets, including NBC News, astir whether Patel had been fired, which management officials subsequently denied.

Patel’s suit said it was "false" that Patel had "panicked" aliases engaged successful a "freak-out" complete nan incident, and said nan FBI told The Atlantic earlier publication that talk of his firing was a "made-up rumor." The FBI did not instantly respond to a mobility from NBC News connected Monday astir whether nan reported method incident connected April 10 ever led Patel to judge that he had been fired.

The suit further alleges that The Atlantic article by Sarah Fitzpatrick contains different “demonstrably and evidently false” claims.

Patel, 46, is “at FBI office astir each azygous day, and erstwhile he is not astatine headquarters, he is visiting section offices — which he has done much often than immoderate of his predecessors, a truth independently verifiable done his nationalist societal media relationship that Defendants were specifically directed to review," nan suit says.

The suit adds that “Director Patel does not portion to excess" astatine establishments mentioned successful nan article "or anyplace else, and this has not, and has ne'er been, a root of interest crossed nan government.”

Patel’s suit besides claims that he “has not targeted governmental aliases individual adversaries” and that “FBI unit actions are taken only wherever labor person acted unethically aliases undermined nan mission.”

Patel has fired FBI employees progressive successful investigations into President Donald Trump, and respective erstwhile FBI labor person pending lawsuits complete their firings.

Patel's suit says nan anonymous sources successful nan communicative are “partisans pinch axes to grind and are not successful a position to cognize nan facts.”

Asked to respond to nan allegations successful nan study an question and reply connected "Fox Business Sunday," Patel told show big Maria Bartiromo that "I’m happy to denote connected your show that we’re not going to return this laying down. You want to onslaught my character, travel astatine me. Bring it on. I’ll spot you successful court."

The FBI did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Patel's lawyer, Jesse Binnall, said successful a connection to NBC News, "Defamatory reside is not free speech, and it is an grant to correspond Kash Patel successful this suit seeking accountability for The Atlantic article’s malicious falsehoods.”

The Atlantic’s elder vice president of communications, Anna Bross, besides said Monday successful a statement, “We guidelines by our reporting connected Kash Patel, and we will vigorously take sides The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”

NBC News besides reached retired to Fitzpatrick, a erstwhile elder investigative shaper and editor for NBC News, for comment.

Patel has served arsenic FBI head since February 2025 aft he was confirmed by nan Senate successful a mostly party-line vote.

Trump astatine times has been dissatisfied pinch Patel's leadership. This past February, Patel went viral for celebrating successful a Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics locker room pinch nan U.S. men’s lucky squad aft its triumph against Canada. One video from nan locker room showed Patel chugging a beer and spraying it it successful nan air, while different showed him cracking unfastened a gangly boy tin while Trump was connected speakerphone to talk pinch nan team.

NBC News reported afterward, citing a personification acquainted pinch nan matter, that Trump was disappointed successful Patel and expressed his displeasure successful a speech pinch him.