Kash Patel said he plans to take legal action against The Atlantic following the publication of a report he says contains false and defamatory accusations. Patel made clear he intends to challenge the claims in court, responding directly to the outlet’s inquiries with a warning.
“Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court — bring your checkbook,” Patel told The Atlantic in a statement included in the report.
The article, titled “The FBI Director is MIA,” presented a series of allegations about Patel’s conduct, including claims of “erratic” behavior, “excessive drinking” and “unexplained absences.”
Among the assertions was an incident earlier this month in which Patel allegedly reacted strongly to a computer login issue, believing he might be losing his job after the removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi. The publication cited multiple unnamed sources who described the situation.
“But Patel, according to multiple current officials, as well as former officials who have stayed close to him, is deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy. He has good reasons to think so — including some having to do with what witnesses described to me as bouts of excessive drinking,” The Atlantic staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick told readers before citing past reports of rumors that Patel was also on the chopping block.
Administration officials pushed back strongly on the report. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the outlet that Patel “remains a critical player on the Administration’s law and order team.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also defended Patel, stating, “Patel has accomplished more in 14 months than the previous administration did in four years. Anonymously sourced hit pieces do not constitute journalism.”
Fitzpatrick wrote that the alleged IT incident reflected broader concerns raised by those she interviewed, describing Patel as unpredictable and prone to making rapid judgments without full information.
“The IT-lockout episode is emblematic of Patel’s tumultuous tenure as director of the FBI: He is erratic, suspicious of others, and prone to jumping to conclusions before he has necessary evidence, according to the more than two dozen people I interviewed about Patel’s conduct, including current and former FBI officials, staff at law-enforcement and intelligence agencies, hospitality-industry workers, members of Congress, political operatives, lobbyists, and former advisers,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
“Speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information and private conversations, they described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability.”
The report further alleged that Patel frequently consumed alcohol to excess, including at private venues in Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas, sometimes in the presence of government staff.
“Early in his tenure, meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled for later in the day as a result of his alcohol-fueled nights, six current and former officials and others familiar with Patel’s schedule told me,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
“On multiple occasions in the past year, members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated, according to information supplied to Justice Department and White House officials.”
The article also claimed that law enforcement equipment had once been requested because Patel was unreachable behind locked doors, citing individuals familiar with the situation.
According to The Atlantic, a request for “breaching equipment” often used by SWAT to gain access to buildings, “was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request.”
Unnamed sources also suggested that Patel’s behavior may have influenced certain social media posts that included inaccurate information about ongoing investigations.
“Some of Patel’s colleagues at the FBI worry that his personal behavior has become a threat to public safety,” Fitzpatrick wrote, saying that the unnamed officials fear his ability to handle a domestic terrorist attack, one telling Fitzpatrick, “That’s what keeps me up at night.”
Patel’s legal team responded forcefully prior to publication. His attorney, Jesse Binnall, sent a letter to the magazine criticizing its reporting process and disputing the claims.
“The vast majority of the claims in the draft article rely solely on vague, unattributed sourcing such as ‘people familiar with the matter’ or ‘some have characterized.’ Any such purported sources could not possibly possess firsthand knowledge, as the allegations are categorically false,” Binnall wrote.
“At least one specific claim — allegation #8 regarding the alleged breaching of equipment — has no corroborating public record whatsoever and appears to be either fabricated or drawn from a single hostile and unreliable source.”
Binnall accused the publication of bias and instructed it to retain all materials related to the story in anticipation of legal action.
“They were on notice that the claims were categorically false and defamatory. They published anyway. See you in court,” Binnall posted on X.
Additional criticism came from FBI officials. Ben Williamson dismissed the report entirely, stating, “This article is a compilation of pretty much every obviously fake rumor I’ve heard the last 14 months except the Atlantic is the only one dumb enough to actually print it.”
Patel adviser Erica Knight echoed that sentiment, saying the publication relied on claims that other reporters could not verify.
“Lawsuit is being filed,” Knight wrote.
Despite the backlash, Fitzpatrick stood by her reporting, emphasizing her experience and confidence in the article’s accuracy.
“I am a very careful, very diligent, award-winning investigative reporter with a history of award-winning work across multiple organizations,” Fitzpatrick told Jen Psaki on Friday night. “I stand by every word of this reporting. We have excellent attorneys.”
Patel responded again, reiterating his intention to pursue legal action.
“see you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court … But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up.”
He also shared a response from Williamson criticizing the article in strong terms.
“Top to bottom, this is one of the most absurd things I’ve ever read.”
“This piece was essentially ‘greatest hits’ of every comically fake rumor disgruntled former employees have tried to publicize over the last year,” Williamson told Fox News Digital. “When you can’t get them printed the first time, you keep moving down the list until you get to the dumbest outlet possible, and that outlet is apparently The Atlantic.”
Jeffrey Goldberg defended the publication’s work, saying, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel.”
{Matzav.com}
