Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel filed a lawsuit against The Atlantic over an article from the news outlet that reportedly contained “false and obviously fabricated” claims.

In the 19-page defamation lawsuit, The Atlantic and Sarah Fitzpatrick — the writer of the article — are listed as defendants, CBS News reported. Patel’s lawsuit “listed 17 allegations in the article that Patel’s legal team alleges were ‘false and defamatory statements of fact.'”

The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, comes after The Atlantic published an article on April 17, in which “multiple current officials, as well as former officials who have stayed close to” Patel allegedly told The Atlantic that Patel “is deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy.”

According to The Atlantic‘s article, some “witnesses” allegedly shared with the outlet that Patel has “bouts of excessive drinking.” Patel is also described as having a “tumultuous tenure” as FBI director:

The IT-lockout episode is emblematic of Patel’s tumultuous tenure as director of the FBI: He is erratic, suspicious of others, and prone to jumping to conclusions before he has necessary evidence, according to the more than two dozen people I interviewed about Patel’s conduct, including current and former FBI officials, staff at law-enforcement and intelligence agencies, hospitality-industry workers, members of Congress, political operatives, lobbyists, and former advisers. Speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information and private conversations, they described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability.

They said that the problems with his conduct go well beyond what has been previously known, and include both conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences. His behavior has often alarmed officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice, even as he won support from the White House for his eager participation in Trump’s effort to turn federal law enforcement against the president’s perceived political enemies.

“On April 17, 2026, at approximately 6:20 PM EDT, Defendants published an article on theatlantic.com and in AMG’s associated platforms, originally headlined ‘Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job,’ with the sub-headline, ‘The FBI director has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences’ (the ‘Article’),” the lawsuit states.

“The Article’s very headline telegraphed its intended outcome: it was not journalism about a subject; it was advocacy against Director Patel,” the lawsuit continues. “Defendants made no effort to disguise their aim.”

Some of the “numerous false and defamatory statements” in the article about Patel that were listed in the lawsuit include:

a. That Director Patel “is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication, in many cases at the private club Ned’s in Washington, D.C., while in the presence of White House and other administration staff.”

b. That Director Patel “is also known to drink to excess at the Poodle Room in Las Vegas, where he frequently spends parts of his weekends.”

c. That “[e]arly in his tenure, meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled for later in the day as a result of his alcohol-fueled nights.”

d. That “[o]n multiple occasions in the past year, members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated, according to information supplied to Justice Department and White House officials.”

e. That [a] request for ‘breaching equipment’—normally used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings—was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors.

Another false and defamatory statement was that “Director Patel’s alleged alcohol consumption has negatively impacted various law-enforcement investigations, including the Charlie Kirk murder investigation.”

“Each of the foregoing statements and implications is false,” the lawsuit added. “They are so demonstrably and obviously false, or easily refuted, that it was at best reckless to publish them.”

Patel is seeking $250 million in damages, according to the lawsuit.

In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for The Atlantic told CNN that the outlet was standing by their “reporting on Kash Patel” and described the lawsuit as “meritless.”

“We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit,” the spokesperson said.