Kash Patel threatens to sue over ‘false’ bombshell report detailing claims of ‘excessive drinking’ and other concerning conduct
FBI Director Kash Patel has threatened to sue over bombshell claims reported in a magazine profile that the Trump administration official is deeply paranoid about being fired and often drinks to excess, alarming officials at the law enforcement agency and beyond.
The alleged conduct, which Patel has called “false reporting,” has left officials alarmed about what would happen if the FBI was needed in a national crisis such as a terror attack.
“That’s what keeps me up at night,” one unnamed official told The Atlantic, which published the claims Friday evening.
The piece details a host of concerning incidents and allegations.
On April 10, according to the magazine, the director flew into a paranoid “freak-out” when faced with a technical issue with a computer system. The report claims Patel thought it was a sign he was being fired and he began calling aides and allies in a panic.
Word of the alleged meltdown reportedly spread quickly through Washington D.C. and the White House got calls about who was really leading the FBI, according to The Atlantic.
The most explosive allegations in the article are regarding Patel’s alleged excessive drinking.
The official is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication at clubs in Washington and his home city of Las Vegas, according to the piece, violating FBI conduct standards and potentially leaving the nation’s top law enforcement official vulnerable to coercion or exploitation.
Early in his time leading the bureau, meetings had to be rescheduled to later in the day to accommodate his nighttime drinking, the report claims.
On multiple occasions, according to the outlet, Patel’s security detail had trouble waking him because he was seemingly intoxicated, and at one point a request went in for emergency “breaching equipment” normally used in SWAT raids and hostage situations.
Patel has vowed to sue over the claims in the article, which he and the FBI say are all false.
FBI officials and other Trump administration members have reportedly questioned whether alcohol factored into missteps by the director, including his claim shortly after the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that a “subject” was in custody, only for the individual to be released and a different suspect, Tyler Robinson, to ultimately be arrested.
The director’s drinking reportedly angered the president himself, who is sober and whose brother died from alcoholism-related health issues. President Trump called Patel after the director was seen chugging beer with members of the victorious U.S. Olympic hockey team to express his displeasure, according to the profile.
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
