Kash Patel vows to sue over Atlantic article claiming alcohol abuse
FBI Director Kash Patel arrives at the U.S. Capitol on March 4, 2026 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel said Sunday he is suing The Atlantic magazine over a recent article reporting that he frequently drinks alcohol to excess. Patel said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that he would be bringing a lawsuit for defamation on Monday. “We are not going to take this laying down,” Patel said. “You want to attack my character? Come at me, bring it on. I’ll see you in court.” Pressed if he was planning to sue the magazine, Patel said, “[A]bsolutely, it’s coming tomorrow.” “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel,” Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, said in a statement to CNBC. Read more CNBC politics coverage The magazine on Friday published a detailed article citing more than two-dozen sources that made bombshell claims about Patel’s behavior. The sources told the magazine that Patel frequently drinks to the point of conspicuous intoxication, and that his …








