FBI Director Kash Patel filed a lawsuit against the Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick in federal court in DC on Monday. In his suit, Patel asks for $250 million in damages for what he claims are defamatory claims in an article by Fitzpatrick published Friday that “bouts of excessive drinking” have affected his ability to perform his job. In the suit, Patel says he “does not drink to excess” at Ned’s in DC, at the Poodle Room in Las Vegas, “or anywhere else.”
Alexandria lawyer Jesse R. Binnall, who represented former North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson in his action against CNN for reporting—accurately, as Robinson later admitted—about his habit of commenting on racist and porn sites, is representing Patel in the matter.
The suit, which you can read below, summarizes the Atlantic article so neatly you may not need the gift article link above. Among the claims Patel’s action describes:
a. That Director Patel “is known to drink to the point of obvious
intoxication, in many cases at the private club Ned’s in
Washington, D.C., while in the presence of White House and other
administration staff.”
b. That Director Patel “is also known to drink to excess at the Poodle
Room in Las Vegas, where he frequently spends parts of his
weekends.”
c. That “[e]arly in his tenure, meetings and briefings had to be
rescheduled for later in the day as a result of his alcohol-fueled
nights.”
d. That “[o]n 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.”
e. That “[a] request for ‘breaching equipment’—normally used by
SWAT and hostage-rescue teams to quickly gain entry into
buildings—was made last year because Patel had been
unreachable behind locked doors.”
f. That Director Patel’s alleged alcohol consumption has negatively
impacted various law-enforcement investigations, including the
Charlie Kirk murder investigation.
g. That Director Patel “recently expressed frustration with the look of
FBI merchandise, complaining that it isn’t intimidating enough.”
h. That on April 10, 2026, Director Patel “panicked, frantically calling
aides and allies to announce that he had been fired by the White
House,” and that his behavior was a “freak-out.”
i. That Director Patel is “often away or unreachable, delaying time-
sensitive decisions needed to advance investigations,” and that on
several occasions, Director Patel’s “delays resulted in normally
unflappable agents ‘losing their shit.’”
j. That Director Patel’s “drinking has been a recurring source of
concern across the government.”
k. The false implication that Director Patel violated DOJ’s ethics
rules prohibiting “habitually using alcohol or other intoxicants to
excess.”
l. That Director Patel has used his position to improperly “target
political or personal adversaries of the president.”
m. The false implication that Director Patel abuses alcohol, thereby
making him vulnerable to exploitation or coercion by foreign
adversaries.
n. The false implication that this alleged alcohol abuse “has become a
threat to public safety,” including in the context of “a domestic
terrorist attack,” and constitutes a national-security vulnerability.
o. That Director Patel “is deeply concerned that his job is in
jeopardy.”
p. That Director Patel has had a problem with “unexplained
absences,” and “spotty attendance at the office,” thereby falsely
implying that Director Patel has been derelict in his duties.
q. That Director Patel left the country vulnerable because “Days
before the United States launched its war with Iran, Patel fired
members of a counterintelligence squad that was devoted, in part,
to Iran.”
Patel says the claims are inaccurate and that the Atlantic did not allow him enough time to comment on the article, which quotes a statement the FBI provided the publication on Patel’s behalf: “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court—bring your checkbook.”
In a statement, the Atlantic says, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.” You can read the suit here:
Kash Patel’s lawsuit against the Atlantic by Washingtonian Magazine
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
