“The Atlantic story is a lie,” Patel said in an interview with Reuters. “They were told the truth before publication, but they chose to publish the falsehood anyway.”
Kash Patel files defamation lawsuit against Atlantic
FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, citing false and damaging claims.
FBI Director Kash Patel on Friday filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick after they published an article alleging that the director had a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national security.
The magazine’s article, originally titled “Kash Patel’s erratic behavior could cost him his job,” said more than 20 anonymous sources expressed concern about Patel’s “significant intoxication and unexplained absenteeism,” which “alarmed FBI and Justice Department officials.”
The article, titled “FBI Director MIA,” later appeared in The Atlantic’s online edition, reporting that during Patel’s tenure, the FBI had to reschedule early meetings “due to drunken nights,” and that Patel was “often absent or unavailable, delaying time-sensitive decisions needed to advance investigations.”
In an article in The Atlantic, the White House, Justice Department and Patel denied the allegations. The article included an FBI statement attributed to Patel. “Print it out. It’s all false. I’ll see you in court. Bring me your checkbook.”
“The Atlantic story is a lie,” Patel said in an interview with Reuters. “They were told the truth before publication, but chose to publish the falsehood anyway.”
“We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel,” Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said in a statement to CNBC after Patel threatened to sue the magazine over Sunday’s Fox News appearance.
Reuters could not independently verify the accuracy of The Atlantic’s article or why the publication changed its title. The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick could not immediately be reached for comment.
Patel’s complaint says that while The Atlantic is free to criticize FBI leadership, it “crossed a legal line” by publishing an article “filled with false and clearly fabricated allegations designed to tarnish Director Patel’s reputation and remove him from office.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks $250 million in damages.
According to the complaint, The Atlantic ignored the FBI’s denials and did not respond to a Friday letter from Patel’s attorney, Jesse Vinall, to senior editors and the Atlantic’s legal department, asking for more time to rebut the 19 allegations the reporter told the FBI newsroom he would publish.
According to the complaint, the letter seen by Reuters was sent just before 4 p.m. Friday, and the article was published at 6:20 p.m. Reuters was unable to determine how or whether The Atlantic responded to Vinal’s request.
The lawsuit alleges the publication acted with “actual malice,” a legal standard that requires public figures like Patel to show that the publisher knowingly published false information or recklessly ignored doubts about its accuracy.
“Defendants’ conscious decision to ignore the detailed, specific, and substantive rebuttals in the pre-public letter and their refusal to allow the FBI and Director Patel reasonable time to respond is among the strongest evidence of actual malice,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit is the latest in which Trump administration figures have sued news organizations. A judge has dismissed Trump’s lawsuit against CNN, which called election denial a “big lie.” The justices also dismissed Trump’s lawsuits against the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Trump has re-sued the New York Times and may sue the Wall Street Journal again.
He also secured several settlements. ABC News agreed to settle the lawsuit for $15 million plus $1 million in attorney fees. Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million for what the Trump administration called “deceptive editing” of a CBS News interview with 2024 election opponent Kamala Harris.
