FBI Director Kash Patel files $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic over 'defamatory hit piece'

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. FBI Director Kash Patel discusses the investigation into the deaths and disappearances of U.S. scientists, concerns about China’s cyber threats and and why he is filing suit against The Atlantic on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’ FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million lawsuit on Monday against The Atlantic over a piece published Friday alleging he has alarmed colleagues with excessive drinking, erratic behavior and frequent absences. The Atlantic published a piece on Friday, headlined, "The FBI Director Is MIA," which cited multiple anonymous sources telling the outlet that the FBI director had an "emotional outburst" related to difficulty logging into a computer system, has had "bouts of excessive drinking" and been absent enough to prompt security concerns. The lawsuit states The Atlantic, and its staff writer, Sarah Fitzpatrick, must be held "acco