House Democrats have sent FBI Director Kash Patel a formal, clinically recognised alcohol screening questionnaire and demanded he complete it under penalty of perjury, escalating a political crisis ignited by a bombshell Atlantic report alleging chronic intoxication on the job.
The report, published on 18 April 2026 by journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick and based on accounts from more than two dozen anonymous sources, accuses Patel, 46, of repeated episodes of conspicuous inebriation at private clubs in Washington and Las Vegas, unexplained absences from the bureau, and incidents in which his own security detail struggled to reach him after nights of heavy drinking.
