Kash Patel Is 'Repeatedly Drunk' In Public, Claims Report, He Says "Fake News"

FBI Director Kash Patel briefly believed he had been removed from his post after encountering an internal login failure on April 10. The incident happened while he was trying to access a bureau computer system, according to a report by The Atlantic, citing people familiar with the situation.

Patel then contacted aides and close associates to say he had been fired by the White House. Two of the individuals familiar with the episode described his reaction as a “freak-out,” according to the report.

The issue was later traced to a technical error affecting access, which was resolved soon after. Patel remained in his position.

“It was all ultimately bullshit,” an FBI official told The Atlantic.

Multiple current and former officials told the publication that Patel has repeatedly expressed concern that his position “is in jeopardy”, with much of that anxiety stemming from his conduct at the bureau.

One of the issues is Patel's drinking, which has been described as a “recurring issue across the government.”

They said he has been seen drinking to the point of apparent intoxication at Washington, DC venues, often in the presence of administration staff.

The report claimed that early in his tenure, some FBI meetings and briefings were rescheduled to later in the day following nights in which Patel had been out drinking. In some instances, they said security personnel had difficulty waking him after he appeared intoxicated. A request for “breaching equipment” was reportedly made on one occasion when Patel could not be reached behind locked doors, according to people familiar with the matter.

The report highlights concerns around his conduct, mentioning he is “erratic, suspicious of others, and prone to jumping to conclusions without sufficient evidence.”

Shortly after The Atlantic report was published, FBI spokesperson Erica Knight dismissed it as “fabricated” and said, “Lawsuit is being filed.”

Patel also responded publicly, writing on X (formerly Twitter), “See you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court. But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up.”

see you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court... But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up. https://t.co/MfbHH8OtLv pic.twitter.com/kw5U3LrfMM

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) April 18, 2026

His post included a screenshot that appeared to show an email addressed to journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick and Patel from FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Benjamin Williamson.

This is the letter we sent to The Atlantic and Sarah Fitzpatrick BEFORE they published their hit piece on FBI Director @FBIDirectorKash. They were on notice that the claims were categorically false and defamatory. They published anyway.

See you in court. pic.twitter.com/Ke8cqNh8hY

— Jesse R. Binnall (@jbinnall) April 17, 2026

Separately, Patel's attorney Jesse Binnall shared a letter on X sent to Fitzpatrick before publication, stating that “most” of the “substantive claims” in the report were “false, unsourced, and facially defamatory.”