{"id":2599966,"date":"2026-05-07T14:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kash-patel-feuds-with-the-atlantic-over-party-boy-coverage-what-to-know\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T14:16:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T18:16:48","slug":"kash-patel-feuds-with-the-atlantic-over-party-boy-coverage-what-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kash-patel-feuds-with-the-atlantic-over-party-boy-coverage-what-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Kash Patel feuds with the Atlantic over &#8216;party boy&#8217; coverage: What to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkash-patel-feuds-with-the-atlantic-over-party-boy-coverage-what-to-know%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2599966&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>FBI Director Kash Patel and *The Atlantic* are locked in a growing dispute over allegations that Patel abused alcohol on the job and that it affected his performance. The controversy began after *The Atlantic* published an April 17 report based on anonymous sources claiming Patel showed up inebriated, was sometimes unavailable, and had work disruptions tied to alcohol.<\/p>\n<p>Patel denies the claims and responded by suing *The Atlantic* and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick for $250 million, arguing the outlet omitted or ignored his pre-publication responses and that its reporting met the standard for \u201cactual malice.\u201d In response,*The Atlantic* says it will vigorously defend the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<p>the conflict escalated further when *The Atlantic* published a May 7 report alleging Patel carried and distributed branded, personalized bourbon to FBI staff during official travel and events. FBI spokesman Ben Williamson dismissed the underlying insinuations and said there is no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraine-leaks-a-major-headache-for-biden-administration\/\" title=\"Ukraine Leaks a Major Headache for Biden Administration\">criminal leak investigation<\/a> into Fitzpatrick-after reporting claimed the FBI was investigating leaks related to the earlier article.<\/p>\n<p>beyond the media fight and legal action, Patel has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tentative-deal-reached-with-rail-workers-to-avert-strike-shipping-chaos\/\" title=\"Tentative Deal Reached With Rail Workers to Avert Strike, Shipping Chaos\">faced political pressure<\/a> from some House Democrats seeking answers via an alcohol-abuse survey and prompting an FBI document request through FOIA.Republicans, by contrast, have largely backed Patel, with officials saying they have not heard credible concerns.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>FBI Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kash-patel\/\">Kash Patel<\/a> and the <em>Atlantic<\/em> remain tangled in a bruising battle over the outlet\u2019s allegations that he abused alcohol on the job, nearly three weeks after its report on the topic triggered a public debacle in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\/\">Washington<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The claims that Patel showed up to work inebriated, among other accusations, have sparked a dramatic back-and-forth between the FBI director and the outlet, as both sides appear to dig in their heels for the long haul.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4558469\/fulton-county-georgia-2020-ballots-fbi-doj\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge denies Fulton County bid to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >retrieve 2020 ballots seized<\/a> by FBI<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4557865\/doj-left-wing-fairfax-county-prosecutor-investigation\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ investigating left-wing Fairfax County prosecutor over alleged unlawful discrimination<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4557924\/doj-ucla-race-based-admission-medical-school\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ says UCLA used <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-justice-department-drops-discrimination-lawsuit-against-yale\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Justice Department Drops Discrimination ... Against Yale\">race-based admissions<\/a> for medical school<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-sparked-the-allegations\">What sparked the allegations?<\/h2>\n<p>The saga was provoked on April 17, when the<em> Atlantic <\/em>published <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/2026\/04\/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences\/686839\/\">a report<\/a> alleging Patel had been heavily drinking in Washington and Las Vegas, negatively affecting his job performance.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick\u2019s piece was based on over two dozen anonymous sources, who viewed Patel\u2019s \u201ctenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability,\u201d according to the outlet.\u00a0The report alleged that at times, Patel\u2019s early meetings had been rescheduled due to \u201calcohol-fueled nights\u201d and that he was frequently unavailable.<\/p>\n<p>Though the article has been firmly rebuffed by the Trump administration, the <em>Atlantic<\/em> has refused to retreat, instead publishing <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/2026\/05\/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon\/687066\/\">a new report <\/a>on Wednesday stating it is \u201cnot unusual\u201d for Patel to travel with a supply of personalized, branded bourbon and hand it out to FBI staff. The report relied on eight anonymous sources, who claimed Patel distributed his personalized whiskey to associates while on official business, including during at least one FBI event. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-was-patel-s-response\">What was Patel\u2019s response?<\/h2>\n<p>Patel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4535484\/kash-patel-lawsuit-the-atlantic-drinking-allegations\/\">filed a $250 million lawsuit<\/a> against the <em>Atlantic<\/em> and Fitzpatrick on April 20, after <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4534990\/patel-fbi-trump-drinking-problem\/\">categorically denying<\/a> any claims that he abused alcohol or that drinking affected his performance at the FBI.<\/p>\n<p>He said Fitzpatrick failed to include in her April 17 reporting responses he sent her before the story came out, which he said indicated the claims are false. The FBI director\u2019s legal team said the outlet met the additional standard of \u201cactual malice\u201d by allegedly failing to adequately consider a prepublication letter sent by Patel\u2019s attorney, Jesse Binnall.<\/p>\n<p>In retaliation, the FBI reportedly launched a criminal leak investigation that focuses on Fitzpatrick, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/news\/fbi-investigating-leaks-to-journalist-who-wrote-explosive-article-on-kash-patel-sources\">according to <\/a>MS Now.<\/p>\n<p>The agency rejected that report on Wednesday, saying reports about a criminal leak investigation are \u201ccompletely false.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo such investigation like this exists, and the reporter you mention is not being investigated at all,\u201d FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said. \u201cEvery time there\u2019s a publication of false claims by anonymous sources that gets called out, the media plays the victim via investigations that do not exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response to the bourbon article, Williamson did not deny the reporting but dismissed insinuations that it was a problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c1) The reporter is not being investigated, and 2) Your story is \u2018dumb\u2019 not \u2018big,&#8217;\u201d Williamson said in a statement posted to X. \u201cPersonalized gifts like this are commonplace across government including the FBI. Here\u2019s a branded bottle gifted by an FBI division in 2023, 2 years prior to Director Patel\u2019s time. \u2026 I already regret wasting my time responding to these self-aggrandizing clowns. Anyway. Back to the important stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">1) The reporter is not being investigated, and 2) Your story is \u201cdumb\u201d not \u201cbig.\u201d Personalized gifts like this are commonplace across government including the FBI. Here\u2019s a branded bottle gifted by an FBI division in 2023, 2 years prior to Director Patel\u2019s time. But cool story. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ay5xwDPUZR\">https:\/\/t.co\/Ay5xwDPUZR<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DJV97ggHx5\">pic.twitter.com\/DJV97ggHx5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_WilliamsonBen\/status\/2052211173924220998?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 7, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-did-the-atlantic-respond-to-the-lawsuit-and-alleged-investigation\">How did the <em>Atlantic<\/em> respond to the lawsuit and alleged investigation?<\/h2>\n<p>The outlet continued to stand by its reporting after Patel filed the lawsuit.\u00a0It said it would \u201cvigorously defend <em>The Atlantic<\/em> and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The magazine\u2019s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, vigorously condemned the report that the FBI launched a leak investigation into Fitzpatrick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will have further comment when we learn more,\u201d he told MS Now. \u201cIf true, this would be an outrageous, illegal, and dangerous attack on the free press and the First Amendment. We will defend Sarah and all of our reporters who are subjected to government harassment simply for pursuing the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-has-patel-faced-any-repercussions\">Has Patel faced any repercussions?<\/h2>\n<p>The FBI director has faced intense scrutiny from those on the Left due to rumors that he abused alcohol while leading the country\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/border-patrol-chief-resists-biden-i-cannot-comply-with-demand-to-use-non-legal-immigration-terms\/\" title=\"Border Patrol Chief Resists Biden: \u2018I Cannot\u2019 Comply With Demand To Use Non-Legal Immigration Terms\">federal law enforcement agency<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Last month, a group of over one dozen House Democrats <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4538798\/house-democrats-kash-patel-alcohol-abuse-survey\/\">sent Patel a letter <\/a>demanding he answer a survey on alcohol abuse.<\/p>\n<p>The survey included questions such as \u201chow often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected from you because of drinking,\u201d \u201chow often during the last year have you needed a first drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session,\u201d and \u201chow often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the leftist group Democracy Forward <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4537368\/left-wing-nonprofit-group-foia-drinking-hungover-kash-patel-record\/\">filed a Freedom of Information Act request<\/a>, asking the FBI to submit documentation of terms such as \u201calcohol,\u201d \u201cdrunk,\u201d \u201cdrinking,\u201d \u201chungover,\u201d and \u201cinebriated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/4555075\/big-tech-share-ai-model-us-government-national-security\/\"><strong>BIG TECH COMPANIES AGREE TO SHARE AI MODELS WITH US GOVERNMENT FOR NATIONAL SECURITY REASONS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Republicans have largely stood by Patel. White House press secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/karoline-leavitt\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11685\">Karoline Leavitt<\/a> said on April 24 that President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> \u201cdoes still have confidence in the FBI director and in our law and order team to do what they\u2019ve been doing so well over the course of the last year and a half.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve not heard any rumors or heard any concerns,\u201d Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Acyn\/status\/2046365687812431959\">said as the<\/a> allegations rolled out last month. \u201cI think he\u2019s executing his job brilliantly up to this point, so I don\u2019t see why that would even be a controversial thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FBI chief Kash Patel and the Atlantic clash over alleged workplace alcohol abuse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2599967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26116119253530.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[44864,36160,43520],"class_list":["post-2599966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-kash-patel","tag-political-controversy","tag-the-atlantic"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26116119253530.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2599966"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599970,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2599966\/revisions\/2599970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2599967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2599966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2599966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2599966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}