FBI Director Kash Patel has threatened to sue The Atlantic after the magazine published an investigation alleging that he drank to excess, missed briefings and sparked a paranoid meltdown over a computer login error, all of which he has flatly denied.
The report, written by investigative journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick and published on 17 April 2026, drew on more than two dozen sources, including current and former FBI officials, members of Congress, political operatives and hospitality workers. It described Patel as 'erratic, suspicious of others and prone to jumping to conclusions before he has necessary evidence,' with his personal conduct characterised as a national security vulnerability.
