FBI Director Kash Patel sued The Atlantic magazine for $250 million Monday in federal court in Washington, accusing the publication of defamation over an article that alleged excessive drinking and mismanagement. The Atlantic said it stands by its reporting and will vigorously defend against what it called a “meritless lawsuit.”
The article, posted Friday by The Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick, alleged that multiple sources described Patel’s conduct, including what witnesses characterized as “bouts of excessive drinking,” which raised concern at the FBI and Department of Justice about his fitness for the role.
The Allegations
The Atlantic reported that witnesses spotted Patel drinking heavily at the private club Ned’s in Washington and at the Poodle Room in Las Vegas, where he spends weekends.
Six people told The Atlantic that briefings and meetings involving Patel had to be rescheduled because of drinking the night before. The magazine also reported that Patel’s security team had difficulty waking him on multiple occasions, and at one point requested equipment designed to forcibly open a building when he was unreachable behind closed doors.
One anonymous official told The Atlantic that concern about what would happen in the case of a terrorist attack “keeps me up at night.”
Patel’s Response
Patel denied the allegations in his lawsuit, calling the article “false” and a “malicious hit piece.” In the lawsuit, he criticized The Atlantic for relying on anonymous sources, stating that “defendants cannot evade responsibility for their malicious lies by hiding behind sham sources.”
According to the lawsuit, Patel’s attorneys had requested additional time from The Atlantic to respond to the accusations before publication, but the magazine did not grant the request. Patel’s legal team characterized this as “among the strongest possible evidence of actual malice,” the legal standard required to prove defamation against a public figure.
Fitzpatrick interviewed more than two dozen people and granted them anonymity to “discuss sensitive information and private conversations.” The Atlantic said it will “vigorously defend” against the lawsuit.
White House Support
The White House told The Atlantic that Patel remains a critical player on President Trump’s law and order team and credited him for decreases in the crime rate. Trump’s team also expressed satisfaction with Patel’s willingness to pursue the president’s political rivals, The Atlantic reported.
Pattern of Litigation
Patel’s lawsuit follows a pattern of defamation suits filed by Trump and his allies against media organizations. Last week, a federal judge in Florida dismissed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit Trump filed against the Wall Street Journal over reporting about a risqué birthday greeting he had sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The judge ruled that Trump had not plausibly alleged the story was published with actual malice, the legal standard required for a public figure to win a defamation case.
Last September, another judge dismissed Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and some of its reporters over a story critical of his business acumen. Trump was allowed to file an amended version of the lawsuit.
Trump also sued CBS News and ABC News over stories before his second term. Both media organizations settled with Trump out of court before the cases could proceed to trial.