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The Atlantic Hit Job on Kash Patel Is Already Falling Apart

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Apr 20, 2026
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Low-Octane Gaslighting – THE ATLANTIC

  • You cannot dispute the sourcing – nobody knows who the sources are!

This weekend, the media environment was abuzz with The Atlantic coming out with a scathing report on FBI Director Kash Patel. The telling aspect is that despite some very harsh accusations and described events, involving allegedly more than two dozen sources, not a single person is on the record with their claims. The ridiculous aspect is who some of these sources are said to be: political operatives, staff from various offices, lobbyists, and hospitality workers.

Meanwhile, Patel and a list of others in various positions are denying all of these claims on the record, yet they are mostly bypassed in terms of importance.

Stealth Story Evolution – THE ATLANTIC

  • Any explanation why…?

And as we were going to press with today’s column, it was seen that The Atlantic altered the headline of the piece it was so proud to publish.

Reporting on the Mirror – CNN

  • You are not helping their case, Brian.

As expected, CNN’s media maven Brian Stelter weighed in on the Patel hit in The Atlantic, and he seemed particularly impressed with the one aspect that was most outlandish. In posting a video clip of his coverage, Brian included a quote from the Sarah Fitzpatrick piece where she listed off the positions of the various sources she relied on. As he put it:

“Of particular note: Hospitality-industry workers.”

So Brian is most impressed with using bartenders and waitstaff as sourcing?

BlueAnon – WIRED MAGAZINE

  • So two people represent all of MAGA Nation.

One thing we have been seeing is the proliferation of conspiracy kooks in recent months. The funny aspect of this is that after years of the press claiming that Elon Musk taking over Xitter was going to lead to false theories spreading from the Right, what has been more prevalent is those on the Left trending in this direction.

Take, for example, how so many Americans took national pride in the recent Artemis II space mission (a largely conservative reaction), and yet, we saw no shortage of people coming forward with claims that the whole trip had been fake and staged.

Now we have another conspiracy that is older but becoming highlighted, and the press are the ones pushing it, instead of combating the “misinformation.” At Wired, they are insisting that not only are some people still questioning the assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, people have become “convinced” it was a fake false flag op. Further, “Much of MAGA” believes it was staged.

This is based on essentially a few voices provided in the piece. Tim Dillion says, “I think that maybe it was staged,” a bit of a step from convinced. Then there is the bitter former administration official Joe Kent, speaking on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, about this being a fake event. Oh…kay then…

Best of all is citing Emerald Robinson, who is hardly a stranger to crackpot theorizing, and not considered a serious voice by serious people. Writer David Gilbert even undercuts his own thesis by including this passage when propping up Robinson:

In the same post, Robinson claimed that the agency was responsible for everything from the January 6 attack on the Capitol to “Jeffrey Epstein's blackmail tapes” and the “Gov. Whitmer fake kidnap plot.”

Reporting on the Mirror – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • Finally! Some reporters will challenge the president!

This coming Saturday will be the White House Correspondents' Association awards dinner, the annual affair when the press celebrates itself for…being in the press. President Trump is expected to attend for the first time, and now we have various members of the media standing out in brave fashion: They have signed a letter!

A collection of press advocacy groups and scores of former journalists are very upset that President Trump is attending and speaking, because…they favor the First Amendment. The way they suggest this be handled is to inspire all in attendance to verbally come out in opposition to the president.

That there is a thought that the press has not been sufficiently battling Trump since he was reelected is quite the confounding position to take.

Reporting on the Mirror – THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION

  • You know, gang, this choice might be a little TOO on the nose.

On the topic of the Nerd Prom, we have this interview Jon Karl conducted with Oz Perlman, who is the featured host of the WHCA Dinner. Pearlman is a self-described “Mentalist,” which is his version of doing magic. That the press organization brings out a man who claims not to do illusions but has unique mental skills, when what he does is close-up illusions, is the perfect emblem of misinformation for their event.