The FBI director said in an April 20 complaint that The Atlantic published an article despite being warned about ‘categorically false’ claims.
By Catholics for Catholics
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s director sued one of the nation’s most recognized and historic magazines, accusing the publication of defamation about a story that asserted that his alleged disproportionate drinking and baffling absences were putting his job in peril.
With the headline “The FBI Director Is MIA,” that was published on Friday by The Atlantic described Director Kash Patel’s conduct in his role heading the Bureau, citing more than two dozen anonymous sources. Sarah Fitzpatrick, the writer, wrote that his behavior had “often alarmed officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice.”
According to a story by The Epoch Times, the $250 million lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, stated the magazine and Fitzpatrick “published the Article with actual malice, despite being expressly warned, hours before publication, that the central allegations were categorically false,” “despite having abundant publicly available information contradicting those allegations,” and “despite obvious and fatal defects in their own sourcing.”
The Atlantic responds to $250 MILLION LAWSUIT
— RT (@RT_com) April 20, 2026
‘We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit’
The complaint says The Atlantic published a ‘sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece’ https://t.co/WJ1AcGysBH pic.twitter.com/3N7qj5JTWE
The story which cited anonymous sources, claimed that Patel supposedly drank in excess and that his colleagues were concerned. At one point, Fitzpatrick wrote that “multiple current officials” and “former officials who have stayed close to him” were worried about the alleged drinking, and she claimed that President Donald Trump is seeking to replace him following the ouster of former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The Epoch Times tried to reach The Atlantic for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Actual malice is a legal standard that requires public figures such as Patel to contend that a publisher knowingly published false information or ignored concerns about its accuracy.
The standard, established in a landmark 1964 Supreme Court decision, also effectively holds public officials or figures to a higher standard when they file defamation lawsuits.
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