Kash Patel

FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, escalating a fight that began with a report alleging he engaged in excessive drinking, erratic behavior, and unexplained absences while leading the bureau.

At the center of the dispute is The Atlantic's April 17 article, first published under the headline "Kash Patel's Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job" and later displayed online as "The FBI Director Is MIA."

Based on interviews with more than two dozen people, Fitzpatrick claimed that Patel's conduct had alarmed officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice. The article described what sources called "conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences," and said early meetings were sometimes pushed back after what it called Patel's "alcohol-fueled nights."

Patel has flatly denied the allegations. In an interview with Reuters, he said: "The Atlantic's story is a lie." He also argued that the magazine had been given what he described as truthful information before publication but chose to proceed anyway.

The article itself also included a sharply worded response attributed to Patel through the FBI: "Print it, all false, I'll see you in court, bring your checkbook." In the complaint, Patel argues that the story was not merely aggressive journalism but a knowingly false effort to damage his reputation and push him out of office.

The lawsuit claims The Atlantic acted with "actual malice," the demanding legal standard public officials must meet in defamation cases. Under that standard, Patel must show the defendants either knew the information was false or published it with reckless disregard for whether it was true.

Reuters reported that Patel's legal team says the magazine ignored detailed denials from the FBI and did not respond to a prepublication letter from attorney Jesse Binnall seeking more time to rebut 19 allegations. Binnall has been the go-to representation in court for President Donald Trump in civil cases. According to the complaint, the letter was sent shortly before 4 p.m. on Friday, and the story was published at 6:20 p.m. that same day.

The Atlantic has not backed down. In a statement, the magazine said: "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit." Fitzpatrick relied on anonymous sources because, she wrote, they were discussing sensitive information and private conversations. Reuters, on its end, said it could not independently verify the truth of the article's allegations or explain why the headline was later changed.

Originally published on IBTimes