FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit Monday against The Atlantic over a report alleging he engaged in excessive drinking and erratic behavior that could jeopardize his position.
The 19-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, also names reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick as a defendant, accusing both parties of publishing a “malicious and defamatory hit piece” despite being warned prior to publication that the claims were false.
The suit cites allegations that Patel drank to intoxication at private clubs in Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas, that security personnel struggled to wake him on multiple occasions, and that breaching equipment was requested after he was reportedly unreachable behind locked doors.
Patel’s filing disputes the claims, stating he does not drink to excess and that the allegations were fabricated with actual malice. In a statement through counsel, Patel said, “The Atlantic’s story is a lie.” “They were given the truth before they published, and they chose to print falsehoods anyway,” Patel said.
