https://www.reuters.com/world/fbi-director-kash-patel-sues-atlantic-court-records-show-2026-04-20/April 20 (Reuters) - FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick following the publication of an article on Friday alleging the director had a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national security.The magazine's story, initially titled “Kash Patel's Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job," cited more than two dozen anonymous sources expressing concern at Patel’s “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” that “alarmed officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice.”The article, which The Atlantic subsequently titled “The FBI Director Is MIA” in its online version, reported that during Patel’s tenure, the FBI had to reschedule early meetings “as a result of his alcohol-fueled nights” and that Patel “is often away or unreachable, delaying time-sensitive decisions needed to advance investigations.”In The Atlantic's story, the White House, the Department of Justice and Patel denied the allegations. The article included a statement from the FBI attributed to Patel, “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court—bring your checkbook.”“The Atlantic's story is a lie,” Patel said in an interview with Reuters. “They were given the truth before they published, and they chose to print falsehoods anyway.”"We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit," The Atlantic said in a statement.Reuters could not independently establish the accuracy of the article or why the publication changed the title.
Patel's complaint says that while The Atlantic is free to criticize the leadership of the FBI, “they crossed the legal line” by publishing an article "replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office.”The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks $250 million in damages.The lawsuit alleges The Atlantic ignored the FBI’s denials and did not respond to a Friday letter from Patel’s lawyer Jesse Binnall to senior editors and The Atlantic’s legal department asking for more time to refute the 19 allegations the reporter told the FBI’s press office she would be publishing.The letter, which Reuters has seen, was sent shortly before 4 p.m. on Friday and the story was published at 6:20 p.m., according to the complaint. Reuters could not establish how or if The Atlantic responded to Binnall's request.The lawsuit alleges the publication acted with “actual malice,” a legal standard that requires public figures such as Patel to show the publisher knowingly printed false information or recklessly ignored doubts about its accuracy.“Defendants' conscious decision to ignore the detailed, specific, and substantive refutations in the Pre-Publication Letter, and their refusal to give a reasonable amount of time for the FBI and Director Patel to respond, is among the strongest possible evidence of actual malice,” the lawsuit says.The lawsuit is the latest instance of a Trump administration figure suing a media outlet.
Trump will throw him under the bus. He is embarrassing even by Trump's standards. Hegseth is next.
>>1507486This is gonna be a fun discovery phase. Before they even go into their sources they can just point out the multiple public pictures of him getting absolutely shitfaced at the olympics.
>>1507489>Hesgeth is nextWhy would he do that when Hesgeth is objectively doing a good job. We are literally winning. Operational victory after operational victory. No navy. No leaders. Complete air dominance. In 2 months what American military leaders failed to do for decades. He's a fantastic SecWar
>>1507538Trump has never not backstabbed all of his close associates when bad things start to happen. This is regardless of how good of a job they are doing or what they are working on. Every person working for him now is incompetent/stupid enough to be tricked into thinking "This time, he won't backstab me!!!"
>>1507538Hegseth has a bad reputation among the troops and is literally about to go up for potential impeachment for war crimes. Plus he keeps getting caught wasting massive sums of money on random bullshit like lobster dinners for himself.
>>1507486>Joseph McCarthy was an alcoholic. Look what that did to himKrash & Kegsbreath? They never learn.All things in moderation, Republicans. That includes certain opinions.
>>1507538 >In 2 months what American military leaders failed to do for decades. Yes anon its so impressive that in 2 months Hegseth was able to close The Strait of Hormuz (which was open before), make a deal with Iran to give them 20 billion dollars while Obama only gave them a few million (because he's a loser unlike based Trump, bigger = better), and also still not be able to force open the strait besides all these operational victories. He should run for president in '28.
>>15075380/10
>>1507486I hope the Atlantic calls his bluff and files to fast track this case so we can get right to discovery.Patel filed this suit to save face and try to intimidate The Atlantic and other non MAGA propaganda outlet, just like Trump does when they run stories about him he doesn't like.
>>1507538IDeFer, posting on a low viewer board like this is a waste of USA taxpayers dollars
>>1507491This, all this case does is further proof we need SLAPP reform, which overwhelming hurts conservatives.>>1507538He's doing such a good job, now 2/3rds of American disapprove of trump war against Iranhttps://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/poll-trumps-approval-rating-hits-second-term-low-economy-iran-war-rcna331462
Trump is going to fire his ass
>>1507538Hegseth had absolutely nothing to do with all that shit. That was the work of ACTUAL OFFICERS and the men under their command. Hegseth's military experience was at best platoon-level, was undoubtedly shithouse, and then he went and fucked around on Fox News for a few years. He ain't shit.
Why does he look to be in mortal fear in every single picture?
>>1507553>I hope the Atlantic calls his bluffWhen the Wall Street Journal called Trump's bluff, and there's now less than fuck all the latter can do about it, Krash is now small potatoes and there's less than nothing he can do to threaten The Atlantic.
>>1507538Because the war is massively unpopular and someone has to take the fall for it.
>>1507553https://www.rawstory.com/trump-doj-2676789218/Everyone already realizes what a disaster this is going to be for Patel.
