The FBI Director Kash Patel threatened to sue The Atlantic. The magazine published a report claiming that Patel was concerned about losing his job due to "excessive drinking" and "unexplained absences."
On Saturday, Patel posted: "See you in court, with all the people who fabricate stories." He also accused the magazine of spreading false news and described the lawsuit as a "foregone conclusion in terms of legal victory."
Hours earlier, Patel’s legal team announced they had warned The Atlantic prior to the article's publication.
"They were explicitly informed beforehand that these allegations were entirely false and defamatory. Yet they still published them. See you in court," wrote Jesse R. Binnall of Binnall Law Group on X.
The lawyer also released what he claimed was a letter sent to The Atlantic, in which he demanded that the news organization preserve all communications related to Patel—including information regarding the anonymous sources cited in the article published by the newspaper on Friday.
In the article, The Atlantic quoted "more than twenty" unnamed officials and insiders, alleging they had expressed concerns about Patel’s conduct and alcohol issues, with some describing his behavior as a "national security vulnerability."
Author Sarah Fitzpatrick said: "I stand behind every word in my reporting. We have outstanding legal counsel."
According to the article, Patel allegedly drank excessively to the point where his security personnel repeatedly struggled to wake him; he also missed intelligence briefings and sometimes remained "out of contact, locked away in his office."
Original: toutiao.com/article/1862849301055496/
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