FBI Director Kash Patelhas threatened to sue The Atlantic after the magazine published an investigation alleging that he drank to excess, missed briefings and sparked a paranoid meltdown over a computer login error, all of which he has flatly denied.

The report, written by investigative journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick and published on 17 April 2026, drew on more than two dozen sources, including current and former FBI officials, members of Congress, political operatives and hospitality workers. It described Patel as 'erratic, suspicious of others and prone to jumping to conclusions before he has necessary evidence,' with his personal conduct characterised as a national security vulnerability.

TheAtlantic report, titled 'The FBI Director Is MIA,' alleged that Patel was known to drink to the point of visible intoxication at Ned's, a private members' club in Washington DC, in the presence of White House and administration staff. According to the magazine, he was also known to drink heavily at the Poodle Room in Las Vegas, where he allegedly spent parts of his weekends.

Six current and former officials told Fitzpatrick that in the early months of Patel's tenure, scheduled meetings and briefings had to be pushed back because he had been drinking the night before. On multiple occasions over the past year, members of Patel's security detail allegedly had difficulty waking him because he appeared to be intoxicated, information that, according to the report, was passed on to Justice Department and White House officials.

EXCLUSIVE: Kash Patel’s colleagues are alarmed by what they say is erratic behavior and excessive drinking. I spoke with more than 2 dozen people with knowledge of his conduct, some of whom described it as a national security vulnerability.@TheAtlantichttps://t.co/fLCGyGjVwl

Among the most striking claims was an alleged incident in which Patel's security detail reportedly requested 'breaching equipment,' tools used by SWAT units and military personnel to force open reinforced doors, because they could not reach him behind a locked door.

The report also raised questions about whether Patel's alleged drinking contributed to errors in his handling of the investigation into the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, citing FBI officials and Trump administration figures who privately questioned a possible link to alcohol use.

I spoke to 2 dozen people familiar with Patel’s conduct for this story, many of whom described it as a national security vulnerability. In response to 19 detailed questions, Patel said: “Print it, all false. I’ll see you in court - bring your checkbook.”https://t.co/QDkdT4KPfZ

The allegations carried a specific regulatory dimension. The Department of Justice's ethics handbook states that employees are 'prohibited from habitually using alcohol or other intoxicants to excess.' Patel leads an agency of approximately 38,000 employees. One unnamed official told Fitzpatrick, 'That is what keeps me up at night,' a reference to fears about Patel's availability during a potential terrorist attack, particularly as the US was engaged in military operations against Iran.

Alongside the drinking allegations, The Atlantic reported a separate incident on Friday 10 April 2026. Patel allegedly struggled to log into an internal FBI computer system before the weekend and, convinced he had been locked out deliberately, called aides and allies in a panic to declare that the White House had fired him.

Source: International Business Times UK