The Atlantic journalist behind a bombshell report about FBI Director Kash Patel is doubling down on explosive claims as the magazine faces a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit.
“I stand by every word of this report,” Atlantic staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick said on Thursday’s “Radio Atlantic” podcast. “We were very diligent. We were very careful. It went through many levels of editing, review, care.”
Fitzpatrick said that since her report was published, she has been “inundated” with responses, including from government officials, reaffirming her reporting.
FBI Director Kash Patel files $250 million lawsuit against Atlantic for ‘offensive hit piece’
“And I think one of the most gratifying things … immediately after the story was published, I was inundated with additional sourcing going to the highest levels of government, thanking us for doing the work, providing more corroborating information,” Fitzpatrick said.
“So it was an open secret in Washington, unfortunately, and we’ve taken a lot of attention to bring it to light.”
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FBI Director Kash Patel listens during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill March 18, 2026 in Washington.
(AP Newsroom)
“Despite the FBI’s obsession with distracting from this record-breaking, historic breakthrough, doubling down on defamatory lies does not make them true,” an FBI spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
On Monday, Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, saying in the lawsuit that Fitzpatrick and the magazine should be held accountable for “a sweeping, malicious and defamatory hit piece” published last week.
“The defendants are of course free to criticize the leadership of the FBI, but they crossed a legal line by publishing an article full of false and clearly fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and remove him from office,” the lawsuit said.
The story “FBI director is MIA” outlined several serious allegations, including examples of “erratic behavior”, “excessive drinking” and “unexplained absences”.
FBI Director Kash Patel Controversial Over New York Times Paper’s Claim Its Reporter Was ‘Investigated’
In the first claim, Patel alleged that he “freaked out” over a technical issue when he tried to log into the computer system earlier this month, believing he had been fired by President Donald Trump after the firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi and had to prepare the announcement. The Atlantic cited nine unnamed sources familiar with the incident.
“But Patel, according to several current officials as well as former officials close to him, is deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy. He has good reasons to think so — including what some witnesses described to me as a bout of heavy drinking,” Fitzpatrick told readers before citing past reports of rumors that Patel was also blocked.
“The IT-lockout episode is emblematic of Patel’s tumultuous tenure as FBI director: He is erratic, suspicious of others, and likely to jump to conclusions before he has the necessary evidence, according to more than two dozen people I interviewed about Patel’s conduct, including current and former FBI officials, hospital staffers, congressional staffers, members of the law-abiding administration, hospital staff, political operatives, lobbyists, and former advisers,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
The report alleged that Patel had a pattern of “clear drinking” and that “he would drink to the point of apparent intoxication,” which often occurred at Ned’s private club in Washington, D.C. “in the presence of White House and other administration staff” and at the Poodle Room in Las Vegas.
“Early in his tenure, meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled for later in the day as a result of alcohol-fueled nights, six current and former officials and others familiar with Patel’s schedule told me,” Fitzpatrick wrote.
On several occasions last year, members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was intoxicated, according to information provided to Justice Department and White House officials.
Kash Patel sparred with an NBC reporter at a news conference about questions about the lawsuit, The Atlantic story
According to The Atlantic, the request for “breaching devices,” often used by SWAT to gain access to buildings, “was made last year because Patel was inaccessible behind a locked door, according to multiple people familiar with the request.”
Anonymous sources also speculated that Patel’s alcoholism played a role in his social media posts that shared false information about active law enforcement investigations. What did he write? Suspect Tyler Robinson turns himself in after Charlie Kirk’s murder.
Jesse Binnal, an attorney representing Patel, shared a letter sent to The Atlantic before the report was published, calling on the magazine to give the FBI less than two hours to respond to the “outrageous claims” before its deadline, saying most of the 19 substantive claims were “false.”
“Most of the claims in the draft article are made by vague, inappropriate sources such as ‘people familiar with the subject’ or ‘some have specialties.’ None of such alleged sources could possibly have direct knowledge, as the allegations are patently false,” Binnal wrote.
The FBI pushed back forcefully against the report, and several members of the Trump administration, including White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, expressed their support for Patel.
“Print this, all wrong, I’ll see you in court — bring your checkbook,” Patel told The Atlantic in a statement included in the report.
Original article source: The Atlantic reporter behind the Kash Patel report says she has since been ‘inundated’ with sources confirming the claims.
