All posts tagged "The Atlantic"

FBI Director Kash Patel's defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic will drag embarrassing records into open court, a legal expert predicted.

Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote in her Substack "Civil Discourse" on Wednesday that Patel's attack is likely to backfire. Patel is suing The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick for a story that cast him as an incompetent drunk endangering national security.

The Atlantic moved to dismiss the lawsuit in July, and Patel filed his response earlier this week. Patel argued that the case is too early in litigation to toss, but Vance argued that Patel is opening the door to a discovery process he won't be able to control. Vance, a former U.S. Attorney, said the coming fight over records from the Department of Justice and testimony would not go Patel's way....

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is being pressured to backtrack after an airstrike gone wrong, according to The Atlantic.

The Pentagon is moving towards restoring as many as half of the roles that Hegseth cut during a "pugnacious" purge at the Department of Defense, according to reporting by The Atlantic. Hegseth's downsizing included the firing or reassignment of staff dedicated to avoiding civilian casualties in war, the reporting noted.

"The potential reversal, which hasn't previously been reported, now awaits Hegseth's signature," according to The Atlantic. The Pentagon is considering bringing back staff as it deals with the fallout of an airstrike that killed almost 170 people, most of them children, at a school in southern Iran, The Atlantic reported....

A national security expert tore into President Donald Trump's latest responses to questions about the Iran war and an embattled ceasefire.

In a Wednesday piece for The Atlantic, national security scholar Tom Nichols reacted to Trump's comments in the wake of renewed hostilities with Iran. Trump was asked on Wednesday morning whether the memorandum of understanding with Iran was dead.

"That's a very interesting question," Trump responded, according to Nichols. "To me, I think it's over. I don't wanna deal with them anymore. They're scum, you know what scum is? They're scum." However, Trump also said on Wednesday that he plans to "give them a little warning" about attacks and "we'll see how it all works out." ...

FBI Director Kash Patel may have saved himself from President Donald Trump's wrath with his lawsuit against The Atlantic, a political analyst has claimed.

Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick on April 20, 2026, following a bombshell investigative report detailing his alleged excessive drinking and erratic behavior. Patel's legal team characterized the article as "replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel's reputation and drive him from office."

Legal experts warned that Patel inadvertently confirmed key details from Fitzpatrick's investigation through his aggressive legal response. ...

Kash Patel would not survive the evidence given against him should his lawsuit against The Atlantic be taken further, a political analyst has claimed.

FBI Director Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick on April 20, 2026, following a bombshell investigative report detailing his alleged excessive drinking and erratic behavior. Patel's legal team characterized the article as "replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel's reputation and drive him from office."

Legal experts warned that Patel inadvertently confirmed key details from Fitzpatrick's investigation through his aggressive legal response. Lisa Needham in the Public Notice Substack noted, "Patel would be luckiest if The Atlantic succeeds at getting this thing dismissed right away — no, really. Because if this case goes forward, he’s stuck with discovery."...

FBI Director Kash Patel has handed himself only one out with a lawsuit he filed against The Atlantic, a political analyst has claimed.

Patel filed a $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic and staff writer Sarah Fitzpatrick on April 20, 2026, following the outlet's bombshell report detailing his alleged drinking problem. Patel's legal team characterized the article as "replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel's reputation and drive him from office."

The Atlantic's report cited more than two dozen sources, including current and former FBI officials, who alleged Patel has rescheduled meetings to recover from intoxication and has been unreachable when needed....