FBI Director Kash Patel slapped The Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick with a defamation lawsuit, after the outlet alleged in a report that he has a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national security.
Filed on Monday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the lawsuit, which seeks $250 million, claims the magazine’s story, initially titled “Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job,” is “categorically false and defamatory.”
“The Atlantic,” which published its exposé on Friday, 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 story — the title of which now reads, “The FBI Director Is MIA” — 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.”
“Some of Patel’s colleagues at the FBI worry that his personal behavior has become a threat to public safety,” the article stated.
The White House, the Department of Justice and Patel denied the allegations to the magazine. The article also quoted Patel as saying, “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court — bring your checkbook.”
A rep for the magazine told The Post on Monday: “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend ‘The Atlantic’ and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”
Patel’s suit alleged that The Atlantic ignored the FBI’s denials and did not respond to a Friday letter from his lawyer Jesse Binnall to senior editors and The Atlantic’s legal department, asking for more time to refute allegations in 19 questions that Fitzpatrick sent White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
The journo’s letter was sent shortly before 4 p.m. Friday and the story was published at 6:20 p.m. that day, according to the complaint.
Lawyers for Patel claim that the Atlantic acted with “actual malice” — a legal standard that requires public figures such as Patel to prove that the magazine 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 stated.
Patel’s suit is the latest example of a Trump administration figure suing a media outlet. A judge dismissed Trump’ owns lawsuit against CNN for describing election denialism as “the big lie.”
Meanwhile, judges also dismissed lawsuits from the president against the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Trump has refiled his suit against The Times and may refile against the Journal.
The GOP commander-in-chief has secured some big settlements. ABC News agreed to settle a defamation case for $15 million plus $1 million in legal fees in 2024.
Last year, CBS-parent Paramount Global agreed to pay $16 million for what the administration called “deceptive editing” of a “60 Minutes” sit-down with his Democratic opponent in the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris.
