
FBI Director Kash Patel made good on his promise to sue The Atlantic magazine for accusing him of being the town drunk.
Patel filed the lawsuit on Monday morning in US District Court in Washington, D.C, seeking $250 million in damages.
The Atlantic published a bombshell article on Friday alleging Patel has a drinking problem.
The article, titled “The FBI Director Is MIA,” claims Secret Secret once used “breaching equipment” to break down a locked door when Patel didn’t respond to phone calls after a night of heavy drinking.

During one alleged incident on April 10, Patel “struggled to log on to an internal computer system.” Believing he was intentionally locked out of the computer system, “he panicked, frantically calling aides and allies to announce that he had been fired by the White House, according to nine people familiar with his outreach. Two of these people described his behavior as a ‘freak-out.'”
The White House “fielded calls from the bureau and from members of Congress asking who was now in charge of the FBI,” according to The Atlantic.
The White House eventually confirmed Patel had not been fired and that he was still the director of the FBI.

Patel was among the officials expected to be fired by President Donald Trump after Attorney General Pam Bondi was dismissed on April 2.
READ ALSO: President Trump Fires Attorney General Pam Bondi
Patel lashed out on Friday night, telling The Atlantic and writer Sarah Fitzpatrick he’ll see them in court.

In a follow-up post on X, Patel wrote: “Memo to the fake news – the only time I’ll ever actually be concerned about the hit piece lies you write about me will be when you stop. Keep talking, it means I’m doing exactly what I should be doing.”
Memo to the fake news – the only time I’ll ever actually be concerned about the hit piece lies you write about me will be when you stop. Keep talking, it means I’m doing exactly what I should be doing. And no amount of BS you write will ever deter this FBI from making America…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) April 18, 2026
During an appearance on “The Briefing with Jen Psaki,” Fitzpatrick said, “I stand by every word of this reporting.”





