The Atlantic published an article by Sarah Fitzpatrick alleging that FBI Director Kash Patel has a serious drinking problem, including episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences. In response, Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick, according to multiple reports. Patel denied the allegations, stating he has never been intoxicated on the job and that the claims are false.
House Democrats, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, launched an investigation into Patel's alleged alcohol abuse and called on him to submit to a screening test, according to six sources. Meanwhile, White House officials are reportedly discussing potential successors for Patel following The Atlantic report, according to anonymous sources.
Patel claimed that arrests are imminent in a conspiracy tied to the 2020 election, stating he has evidence backing President Trump's claims. He did not provide specific details about the evidence or the timing of the arrests.
I have never been intoxicated on the job. These claims are false.
A defamation lawsuit Patel filed against former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi was dismissed by a Texas court, which ruled that the statement was rhetorical hyperbole, according to six sources. Separately, The New York Times reported that the FBI investigated New York Times reporter Elizabeth Williamson for alleged stalking after she published an article about Patel's use of bureau personnel for his girlfriend's security detail.
Patel has fired at least 10 FBI employees linked to the investigation into classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. He did not provide evidence of wrongdoing by the staff who were terminated. All of the FBI agents and analysts fired on Wednesday were involved with the classified documents case, according to research.
Patel got into a heated exchange with NBC News reporter Ryan Reilly over claims he was locked out of a computer system and feared being fired, according to eight sources. The FBI fired more people Thursday, with a rough estimate of about a dozen in total over two days, according to research.
The FBI secretly subpoenaed my phone records using flimsy pretexts and burying the process in prohibited case files to evade oversight.
Reuters reported that the FBI subpoenaed records of phone calls made by FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles when they were private citizens as part of Smith's probe into Trump. Patel alleged that the FBI secretly subpoenaed his phone records using flimsy pretexts and burying the process in prohibited case files to evade oversight. CBS News was unable to verify whether Patel's records were subpoenaed. In the 2020 election case (Arctic Frost), Patel's records were not subpoenaed.
Wiles' records were reviewed as part of the documents case. Smith's classified document charges were dismissed by a federal judge in Florida in mid-2024 on grounds that Smith was unlawfully appointed. Smith dropped the 2020 election charges after Trump won the 2024 election.
The FBI Agents Association condemned the firings, saying they violate due process rights and weaken the Bureau. The Justice Department fired a group of prosecutors who worked on Smith's team. The FBI has fired agents involved in the Arctic Frost election investigation.