Patel filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against the magazine and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick over a Friday article alleging excessive drinking and unexplained absences.
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FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit Monday against The Atlantic magazine and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick over an article published Friday that alleged he abuses alcohol and has been absent from his duties.
The Atlantic article, initially headlined "Kash Patel's Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job" and later changed to "The FBI Director Is MIA," cited more than two dozen anonymous sources describing episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences. The article's subheading stated: "The FBI director has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences."
Patel denied the allegations in a statement to The Atlantic included in the article. Over the weekend, he vowed on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" to pursue legal action. "We are not going to take this lying down," Patel said. "You want to attack my character? Come at me, bring it on. I'll see you in court."
The 19-page civil complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In the suit, Patel's legal team accused the defendants of publishing "a sweeping, malicious and defamatory hit piece" and said they "crossed the legal line by publishing an article replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel's reputation and drive him from office."
The complaint specifically challenges what Patel characterizes as "numerous false and defamatory statements of fact." Patel denies drinking to excess and also refutes reporting about an alleged incident on April 10 when he reportedly thought he had been fired. The article also stated that Patel "has earned a reputation for acting impulsively during high-stakes investigations" and that his conduct "often alarmed officials at the F.B.I. and the Department of Justice."
The Atlantic's Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg responded to the lawsuit threat on Sunday, stating: "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel." The magazine has not issued a formal statement following the filing of the lawsuit.
Patel denied the claims immediately after the article's publication and began threatening legal action, which he carried out as promised the following morning.
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