Kash Patel travels with supply of personalized bourbon — spelled 'KA$H': report
The Atlantic revealed a startling new detail about FBI Director Kash Patel's drinking habits in an article published on Wednesday.
This comes after an initial expose of Patel from last month that detailed his frequent drunkenness, unexplained absences, and his increasing paranoia that he's going to be dismissed from his job.
"After my story appeared, I heard from people in Patel’s orbit and people he has met at public functions, who told me that it is not unusual for him to travel with a supply of personalized branded bourbon," wrote Sarah Fitzpatrick." The bottles bear the imprint of the Kentucky distillery Woodford Reserve, and are engraved with the words 'Kash Patel FBI Director,' as well as a rendering of an FBI shield."
"Surrounding the shield is a band of text featuring Patel’s director title and his favored spelling of his first name: KA$H," the article continued. "An eagle holds the shield in its talons, along with the number 9, presumably a reference to Patel’s place in the history of FBI directors. In some cases, the 750-milliliter bottles bear Patel’s signature, with '#9' there as well. One such bottle popped up on an online auction site shortly after my story appeared, and The Atlantic later purchased it."
This type of branding is not at all unusual for Patel, the article noted, as he has a history of creating and hawking merchandise of himself: "Merchandise for sale on a website he co-founded — still operating, nearly 15 months into his term — includes beanies ($35), T-shirts ($35), orange camo hoodies ($65), trucker caps ($25), 'government gangsters' playing cards (on sale for $10), and a Fight With Kash Punisher scarf ($25)."
Patel has sued The Atlantic for defamation over the first article, and a report earlier today indicated FBI agents are now investigating how information Fitzpatrick used in the article leaked from inside the bureau.