FBI director files $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic

FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday sued The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick for defamation, alleging that they knowingly published a slew of false claims about him in a Friday article. The article, citing roughly two dozen anonymous sources, said Patel was frequently intoxicated and absent from work. It was originally titled, “Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job,” according to the lawsuit. As of Tuesday afternoon, the title of the article read, “The FBI Director is MIA.”

Patel flatly denied the claims, according to court documents, and said the news organization only gave the FBI a two-hour window to respond to 19 specific allegations before it published the article. He also accused the outlet of ignoring evidence the FBI provided to refute the claims. He asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to award him $250 million in damages.

How did The Atlantic respond to Patel’s lawsuit? Its leadership stood by the content of the article and looked forward to defending against the meritless lawsuit in court, the outlet said Monday.

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