Kash Patel sues The Atlantic over article alleging 'excessive drinking' while working

Blanche, Patel announce SPLC fraud case

The Southern Poverty Law Center has been indicted on federal fraud charges according to Attorney General Todd Blanche who made the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday. According to The Associated Press, the civil rights group faces charges including wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. "Although we don't know all the details," the organization’s interim CEO Bryan Fair previously said in a video, "the focus appears to be on the SPLC's prior use of paid confidential informants to gather credible intelligence on extremely violent groups." 

FBI Director Kash Patel is suing The Atlantic for defamation, claiming an article published in the magazine a "malicious hit piece." 

The article, which was posted to the magazine’s website on Friday, claimed Patel is deeply concerned about losing his job and that "he has good reasons to think so – including some having to do with what witnesses described" as "bouts of excessive drinking." 

Dig deeper:

The author, Sara Fitzpatrick, was named as a defendant in the lawsuit brought by Patel. 

His behavior, including "both conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences," has alarmed officials at the FBI and Department of Justice, leading one official speaking anonymously to say that worry about what would happen in the case of a terrorist attack in the U.S. "keeps me up at night," the magazine said.

The Atlantic said Patel had been spotted drinking heavily at the private club Ned’s in Washington and at the Poodle Room in Las Vegas, where he often spends time on the weekends. Six people told the magazine that briefings and meetings involving Patel had to be rescheduled for later in the day because of drinking the night before.

It said that on "multiple occasions" Patel’s security team had difficulty waking him and at one point requested equipment designed to forcibly open a building when Patel was unreachable behind closed doors.

Fitzpatrick wrote that she interviewed more than two dozen people and granted them anonymity to "discuss sensitive information and private conversations."

FILE - Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel speaks alongside Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche during a news conference at the at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building on April 21, 2026 in Washington, DC. (

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The other side:

The White House told The Atlantic that Patel remains a critical player on President Donald Trump’s law and order team and credited him for decreases in the crime rate. Trump’s team is also said to be pleased by Patel’s willingness to go after the president’s rivals.

Kash Patel responds

What they're saying:

During a news conference on Tuesday, Patel continued to vehemently deny the claims published in The Atlantic’s article, touting his work ethic and even challenged any other news outlets to "participate" in the lawsuit.

"I'm on the job. I'm the first one in, I'm the last one out. I'm like an everyday American who loves his country, loves the sport of hockey, and champions my friends when they raise a gold medal and invite me in to celebrate. I've never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit, and any one of you that wants to participate. Bring it on. I'll see you in court," Patel said.