Washington — FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine on Monday, saying a recent story about his alleged frequent drinking and absences included “false and obviously fabricated” claims.
The 19-page lawsuit, filed in the District of Columbia, is seeking $250 million in damages. Sarah Fitzpatrick, the reporter who wrote the story, is also named as a defendant.
Patel and the FBI have repeatedly denied allegations in the story, which included allegations that Patel often drinks to excess. The piece, which cited multiple unnamed current and former officials, also said that Patel’s “irregular presence at FBI headquarters and in field offices” has delayed “time-sensitive decisions” that require the FBI director’s input.
The lawsuit listed 17 allegations in the article that Patel’s legal team alleges were “false and defamatory statements of fact,” including that he “is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication.”
“Each of the foregoing statements and implications is false. They are so demonstrably and obviously false, or easily refuted, that it was at best reckless to publish them,” the suit said.
In a statement posted on X, The Atlantic said, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists from this meritless lawsuit.”
CBS News has reached out to Patel’s lawyer, Jesse Binnall, for additional comment.
This is the second lawsuit that Patel has filed in connection with media reports about allegations of his drinking and partying.
Last year, he sued Frank Figliuzzi, an MSNBC analyst and former FBI agent, over a claim suggesting Patel was spending more time in nightclubs than the FBI’s headquarters. That case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, is still pending.
