FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic after the outlet published a report alleging that he has struggled with excessive drinking and unexplained absences while in office. The report relied on accounts from more than two dozen anonymous witnesses. Patel’s legal team called the claims “obviously fabricated” and argued the piece was designed to destroy his reputation and drive him from office.
One specific detail in The Atlantic report described Patel chugging a beer in the locker room of the United States men’s hockey team after their gold medal win at the Olympics. The Atlantic has stood by its reporting and said it will vigorously defend its staff against the lawsuit. Reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick noted that the outlet reached out to both the White House and the Department of Justice, and neither disputed the findings.
