Mia Williams
Kash Patel was involved a fiery altercation during a press conference yesterday (April 21) after a reporter pressed the FBI director about alleged 'alarming' behavior following 'bouts of excessive drinking'.
The 46-year-old was joined by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at the briefing, which was intended to focus on the Southern Poverty Law Center being indicted on federal fraud charges.
The civil rights organization has been charged in relation to past payments it allegedly made to facilitate the infiltration of extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
But the media briefing quickly spiraled after NBC News' Ryan Reilly pressed Patel on a recent report shared by The Atlantic, which claims that dozens of individuals have witnessed the FBI director engaging in 'bouts of excessive drinking' and resulted in 'unexplained absences', allegedly causing concern within the Department of Justice.
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The published article, titled The FBI Director Is MIA, further alleges that Patel has a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national security.
Following the bombshell allegations, he has since sued The Atlantic for $250 million, and has further claimed that the report is 'obvious fabrication'.
"I’ve never been intoxicated on the job," he reiterated during yesterday's press conference.
But the reporter didn't hold back while grilling the bureau director about the allegations, which Patel has said is an effort to destroy his career.
Reilly pressed Patel on one key detail in particular.
The Atlantic report alleges that the director informed others that he believed he had been 'fired by the White House' earlier this month, after experiencing some difficulties logging into the FBI's internal computer system.
And while Patel has branded the report a 'lie', his own defamation lawsuit suggests that he did indeed have trouble logging in.
It states: "On April 10, 2026, Director Patel had a routine technical problem logging into a government system."
"Did you communicate with anyone that you thought you were fired after you were unable to log into the," Reilly asked before the bureau director jumped in to set the record straight.
Patel responded: "The problem with you and your baseless reporting is that is an absolute lie. It was never said, it never happened, and I will serve in this administration as long as the president and the attorney general want me to do so."
After being further pushed on the point, Patel added: "I’ve answered your question. It’s simply as follows. I was never locked out of my systems."
General Blanche even stepped in as the situation evolved into a heated exchange.
"Stop, you’re being extraordinarily rude, and I know maybe that’s part of your profession, but please just stop," he said. "If you ask a question, he can answer it… Just a little bit of respect, man, just a tiny little bit."
In a statement, The Atlantic said: "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend the Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit."
UNILAD has reached out to Kash Patel's representatives for further comment.