FBI Director Kash Patel has moved to sue The Atlantic for $250 million over a damning report alleging he has engaged in a pattern of misconduct while leading the agency.
But he has already attempted that playbook, former CBS News reporter turned Meidas Touch Washington correspondent Scott MacFarlane posted to X.
And so far, it hasn't worked out the way he had hoped.
"Kash Patel has attempted defamation suits against journalists before, including a suit filed in Texas, over report that Patel was spending more time at nightclubs than at FBI HQ," wrote MacFarlane, referring to legal action taken against then-MSNBC contributor Frank Figliuzzi.
Now, however, "months later, defendant is now requesting 'the Court grant his motion to dismiss and permit him to move for an award of attorney’s fees and costs' against Patel," wrote MacFarlane.
The Atlantic's report puts forth a number of damning claims about Patel's time as director of the FBI, most notably problem drinking that has allegedly left him incapacitated in his office and unable to be reached. The report claimed agency officials even put in a request for "breaching equipment" in case he barricaded himself behind a locked door during one of his benders. The report also said he lives in a constant state of paranoia about being fired by the president and has had public meltdowns over it.
Patel denies all of these allegations, and a spokesperson for the director has claimed he has, in fact, taken less time off from his position than any of his recent predecessors.