According to The Atlantic's sources, FBI Director Kash Patel drinks heavily to the point of obvious alcohol poisoning, often openly at the private club Ned's in Washington or at Poodle Room in Las Vegas where he spends his weekends. The Atlantic's sources also report that several times last year, Patel was so drunk that his own guards had difficulty reviving him, and on one occasion, guards had to use FBI equipment intended for forcing entry into residences to reach him when he was unreachable behind a locked door. Patel's drinking is a concern at several levels within the Trump administration, and it has been a problem since he began his service in February 2025. Early after his appointment, meetings had to be postponed to later in the day because Patel was hungover, according to The Atlantic's sources. Patel is often inexplicably absent from work, with his presence in the office described as irregular, and he is often impossible to reach, causing important and time-sensitive decisions to be postponed and worsening the agency's existing problems with bureaucratic bottlenecks. On several occasions, the consequences of Patel's absence have caused normally level-headed FBI agents to lose it, The Atlantic's sources say.
After the USA's gold in the Olympic ice hockey tournament in Milan, Patel went down to the locker room to celebrate, where he was caught on film chugging a bottle of beer and jumping around with NHL stars, according to The Atlantic's sources. President Donald Trump called Patel to express his displeasure about the locker room incident, as Trump does not drink and his brother died after long-term alcohol abuse, The Atlantic's sources report.
FBI Director is missing in action.
On Friday, April 10, Patel suddenly could not log into the FBI's data systems due to a technical error, but he quickly became convinced he had been fired, according to The Atlantic's sources. Patel panicked and began manically calling around to various colleagues and allies, with two of The Atlantic's sources describing the behavior as a breakdown.
The FBI, under Patel, has fired at least 10 employees linked to the investigation into classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The dismissals occurred after reports revealed the FBI had obtained phone records of Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles during the probe. According to The Independent - Main, Kash Patel described the FBI obtaining his phone records as 'outrageous'. The investigation, led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, focused on Trump's handling of classified materials post-presidency, resulting in an FBI raid and a 37-count indictment. A federal judge dismissed the classified documents case against Trump in July 2024, deeming Special Counsel Jack Smith's appointment unconstitutional.
Outrageous.
The FBI Agents Association criticized the mass firings, stating they weaken the Bureau. There is a pattern of staff purges under Patel, including agents deemed to lack 'conservative bona fides'.
According to Aftonbladet, The Atlantic described Patel as 'missing in action'. Patel has also spread false information after the murder of Charlie Kirk, forced his staff to take loyalty tests with a lie detector, and used FBI aircraft privately, including to watch Olympic hockey, according to multiple reports.