Kash Patel Faces Blowback for Threatening Press After Drunkenness Report

Kash Patel, the FBI Director known for loyalty purges and politicizing law enforcement, is under fire again—this time for reportedly opening a criminal leak investigation into The Atlantic’s Sarah Fitzpatrick after she exposed his heavy drinking on the job. Former FBI official Chris O’Leary slammed Patel on MS NOW’s “Katy Tur Reports,” saying, “As an FBI agent, you cannot open up investigations based on somebody’s speech or their First Amendment protected rights. You can’t go after the press.”

O’Leary’s rebuke highlights a dangerous pattern within the Trump-era holdovers weaponizing federal agencies against political opponents and critics. “Kash Patel and other false patriots very conveniently shred the Constitution as quickly as they can when it is inconvenient for them,” O’Leary added, emphasizing the erosion of legal norms under Patel’s watch.

The reported investigation is a direct response to Fitzpatrick’s story revealing Patel’s extensive drinking, including incidents where his security detail struggled to rouse him. This report has already prompted Patel to file a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, escalating tensions between the FBI leadership and the free press.

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied any investigation, dismissing media claims as “false claims by anonymous sources” and accusing the press of playing the victim. Meanwhile, The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg condemned any such probe as “an outrageous attack on the free press and the First Amendment itself,” vowing to defend journalistic integrity against politically motivated retaliation.

This episode underscores how Patel’s tenure as FBI Director continues to undermine democratic norms and chill investigative journalism. Instead of respecting constitutional protections, Patel appears to be doubling down on authoritarian tactics—prompting calls for him to “start acting like a grown-up” and uphold the standards expected of his office.

We will be watching closely as this story develops, because when the head of the FBI targets reporters for doing their job, democracy itself is on the line.