Are we really surprised by this development? Thanks to our friends at Twitchy, we were reminded of some much-needed context behind The Atlantic’s hit piece on Kash Patel, which depicts the agency chief as a drunkard. First, Patel’s legal team has filed lawsuits. Second, when no other outlet would touch this shaky story, it was clear it was a nothingburger.
Any allegation about Mr. Patel abusing alcohol would most likely be investigated by every dishonest mainstream outlet in the capital. If they hesitated to pursue it due to a lack of evidence, that’s your clue. But The Atlantic, which has a history of running fake news against Trump and his officials, decided to throw this hand grenade into the tent. The problem is that it bounced back, and it blew up in their faces. Reuters couldn’t even find much into The Atlantic’s outrageous claims [emphasis mine]:
Here we go, more outlets unable to confirm @TheAtlantic and @S_Fitzpatrick’s reporting that @FBIDirectorKash has a drinking problem that poses a security threat.
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) April 20, 2026
For @MorningWire today I spoke to on-the-record sources like @DissidentClint who have worked very closely with Patel… pic.twitter.com/lTb3fccnhH
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.”
"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.
[…]
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.
Patel is seeking $250 million in damages. The author of the piece, Sarah Fitzpatrick, was part of the chorus that ran with the Julie Swetnick nonsense that was aimed at derailing the Supreme Court nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Need we say more?
Nothing says "we stand by our reporting" like ye olde ghost-edit title swap on The Atlantic's "Operation Get Kash" hitpiece pic.twitter.com/tRtbaGkqky
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) April 21, 2026