FBI Director Kash Patel.Image: keystone
An investigative report makes serious allegations against FBI Director Kash Patel. Now he defended himself at a press conference. A heated exchange ensued.
April 23, 2026, 07:20April 23, 2026, 07:20
Christoph Cöln / t-online
On Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel stood in the press room of the US Department of Justice and answered questions from journalists. When NBC reporter Ryan Reilly asked Patel about the recently publicized allegations of his alleged alcohol abuse, the Trump confidant launched into an unprecedented defense speech. “I want to make it clear that I don’t give a damn about the fake news mafia. The louder it gets, the more it shows me that I’m doing my job right.”
REPORTER: Can you say definitively that you have not been intoxicated or absent during your tenure as FBI director?
KASH PATEL: I can say unequivocally that I never listen to the fake news mafia. This FBI director has been on the job twice as many days as every director before… pic.twitter.com/tV7Ifgj9WL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 21, 2026
The insult “fake news mafia,” which is popular among MAGA supporters, refers to liberal, rather Trump-critical media companies and publications. One of them has now sued Patel for $250 million in damages. It is the US magazine “The Atlantic”. A few days ago, its journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick reported in an investigative report from inside the FBI agency that its director had a serious alcohol problem. In the past year, members of his personal security team had several problems waking him up because he was said to be very drunk.
On Wednesday, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee even reached out to Patel. In a letter they asked him to respond to the allegations of binge drinking and to answer a 10-question catalog (“AUDIT”) about his drinking habits. The alcohol test is considered a standard protocol for determining addictive behavior. The Democratic politicians also refer to the article in “The Atlantic”.
Investigative report reports on drinking sessions
According to this, Patel is said to regularly spend time in expensive nightclubs in Washington, DC and Las Vegas and sometimes have excessive drinking sessions there. He sometimes drinks so much that he is no longer responsive. In addition, Patel was recently unable to log into the Justice Department’s computer system when he started work. The 46-year-old Trump hardliner then had a panic attack because he believed he had been fired. This is what several anonymous FBI sources that Fitzpatrick refers to in her article describe it.
When asked about the revelations at the press conference, Patel initially countered with a performance review on his own behalf. “This FBI director served twice as many days as any other FBI director before me. That means I took twice as few days off as those before me. That means I only took a third as many vacation days as those before me. This also means that this FBI and this Department of Justice have managed to reduce the murder rate by 20 percent compared to the Biden administration. I’m always on duty, I’m the first to arrive and the last to leave.”
But these claims weren’t enough for NBC man Ryan Reilly. He probed. «What did you think when you couldn’t log into the system. Did you think you were fired?” Patel replied: “Let’s do a poll, how many people do you think believe you?” Reilly remained adamant: “Please answer the question.” Patel now became personal: “The problem with you and your unfounded reporting is that it is a complete lie. It was never said and it never happened. And I will work in this government as long as the President sees fit.”
Informant: Patel is “rightly paranoid”
But some people already believe that the likelihood of Patel remaining in office is in the tens of thousands. “We’re all just waiting for it to become official” that Patel is losing his top job, investigative journalist Fitzpatrick quoted a senior FBI official as saying. Another said Patel was “rightly paranoid.” Apparently there are rumblings not only in the security agency, but also in the White House when it comes to the FBI chief.
At the beginning of April, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, Patel’s superior, an important cabinet member. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was previously fired. This week, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned after several scandals emerged. Patel, insiders suspect, could be next.
But the 48-year-old is defending himself against the threat of resignation. The former employee of Trump’s company Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the Truth Social platform, is considered one of the most vocal supporters of Trump’s policies. He is uncompromisingly pushing forward the president’s agenda and has made it his mission to persecute the Republican’s political opponents.
Just on Monday, leading representatives of the US state of Michigan rejected a demand from the US Department of Justice to hand over voting documents from the 2024 election. They accuse President Donald Trump’s government of wanting to sow doubts about the legitimacy of the election. The background is Trump’s long-held, unsubstantiated claim that his defeat in 2020 was due to massive election fraud. At the same time, FBI Director Patel announced “soon” arrests in connection with the alleged 2020 election fraud.
Journalist: Patel the “chain dog of Donald Trump”
“Kash Patel is a radical MAGA ideologue who is making our country less safe,” wrote Democrat Dick Durbin before Patel was appointed FBI director last year. He has repeatedly spread conspiracy theories and will use the FBI to “take action against Donald Trump’s enemies.” The US senator, along with other high-ranking politicians, warned that Patel had a blacklist of more than 60 people who he considered to be representatives of the “deep state”. According to Patel, these are “enemies of America” and must be held accountable.
The American investigative journalist and Putlitzer Prize winner David Cay Johnston called Patel “Trump’s chain dog” in an interview with PBS. The FBI director is doing everything he can to endear himself to the president and doesn’t shy away from radical measures. In the eyes of experts, this could protect him from dismissal, even in light of the latest revelations.
Patel hits back hard at his critics. He not only defends himself against critical questions at press conferences, but also against unpleasant reporting. The $250 million lawsuit against “The Atlantic” is likely to be to the President’s liking; He also uses the legal means of defamation to prevent overly critical reporting. The US broadcaster MS Now (formerly MSNBC) described Patel’s lawsuit as an “attempt at intimidation”. “He doesn’t want to win the lawsuit,” said the broadcaster, “he just wants to spread fear.”
Patel: “Never get drunk at work”
Meanwhile, at the press conference, Patel spoke about himself as an average citizen. “I’m a normal American who loves his country, who loves ice hockey and cheers on my friends when they hold up a gold medal and invite me to celebrate with them.” He was referring to a video that surfaced of him during the Winter Olympics in Italy. You can see the FBI director celebrating winning the gold medal in the locker room with the US hockey team. Patel obviously sets the pace at the exuberant party: he opens a bottle of beer, pours it down his throat in one gulp and starts a patriotic song.
The video caused astonishment not only on social networks. Afterwards, rumors about Patel’s supposedly problematic handling of alcohol flared up again. Now he said in an exchange with journalists: “I have never been drunk at work, and that is why we have filed a libel lawsuit for $250 million. And if any of you want to take part in this, go ahead, we’ll see you in court.” Spoken and left the lectern to Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche. Kash Patel was no longer available to answer further questions that afternoon.
Sources used: