WASHINGTON DC — FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking $250 million in damages. The complaint names Sarah Fitzpatrick as a defendant and alleges that the magazine published false and fabricated allegations about Patel's conduct to destroy his reputation and drive him from office.

The lawsuit lists 17 allegations from the Atlantic article as false and defamatory statements of fact. Patel's lawyers accused the publication of acting with actual malice, the legal standard for defamation against a public figure, and the complaint says Fitzpatrick relied entirely on anonymous sources who were partisan and not in a position to know the facts. In the filing, Patel denied that he drinks to excess or that anyone in government is concerned about it, calling the allegations a deliberate and malicious smear.

The Atlantic's story cited six current and former officials and others familiar with Patel's schedule, reporting that meetings and briefings were rescheduled because of his alcohol-fueled nights. It said that on multiple occasions members of Patel's security detail had difficulty waking him because he was seemingly intoxicated, and that a request for breaching equipment was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors. The article also said Patel's irregular presence at FBI headquarters and in field offices delayed time-sensitive decisions requiring the director's input, and that he is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication.

Before publication, attorney Jesse R. Binnall sent a three-page letter to Fitzpatrick threatening a lawsuit and compelling her to retain her communications relevant to the story. "Defamatory speech is not free speech, and it is an honor to represent Kash Patel in this lawsuit seeking accountability for The Atlantic article's malicious falsehoods." Binnall said.

Patel addressed the reporting publicly before filing suit. "Print it, all false, I'll see you in court – bring your checkbook." he said.

The magazine defended its reporting. "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend the Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit." Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of the Atlantic, also said, "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel."

Patel previously filed a lawsuit last year in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas against MSNBC analyst Frank Figliuzzi over claims about his nightclub visits.