TW: Mentions instances of alcohol use.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked FBI director Kash Patel after a recent report by The Atlantic alleged excessive alcohol use and erratic public conduct. Concerns about Patel’s alleged alcohol use emerged after the media outlet claimed the director consumed alcohol while on duty, affecting his political credibility.
The allegations led to widespread media scrutiny, after which Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and its reporter, Sarah Fitzpatrick.
According to the lawsuit, The Atlantic acted with “actual malice” when publishing its story titled ‘Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job,’ which cited several instances of alleged misconduct supported by anonymous sources.
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The article, later retitled ‘The FBI Director Is MIA’ in its online version, also stated that the alleged drinking led to multiple absences and delays in reporting to important and sensitive FBI cases.” Kimmel also slammed Patel over an incident in which he reportedly panicked after being unable to log into his computer.
According to OK! Magazine, the 44- year-old reportedly thought he was terminated when he could not log in to his system. Patel allegedly called multiple aides to announce his “termination,” only to later discover it was a routine technical problem.
“He started frantically calling aides to announce that he’d been fired. According to nine people familiar with this outrage,” the award- winning host added.
Kimmel said the report claimed Patel’s team previously addressed concerns about his alleged alcohol use. Reports from February revealed how the director was criticized for celebrating with Olympians during a taxpayer-funded trip. He received backlash after being spotted with Team USA following their win over Team Canada.
Clips showed Kash Patel drinking beer and participating in locker-room celebrations, despite the FBI’s statement that the trip was official business and “not a personal trip.”
Meanwhile, Kimmel also referenced allegations that members of Patel’s security team once struggled to wake him and considered emergency measures out of concern for his condition. The host also compared Kash Patel’s conduct to that of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faced similar allegations of excessive alcohol use.
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According to Mirror US, Kimmel, Kimmel, who has previously criticized Hegseth and other Trump administration officials, said Patel now joins Hegseth, whom he described as the “Trump poster boy for drinking too much.”
“We all thought Pete Hegseth was the Trump poster boy for drinking too much,” Kimmel said. “All of a sudden, Kash is like, ‘Hold my beer, and my martini while you’re at it.’” He added.
According to sources, Patel has strongly denied all claims of excessive alcohol drinking as he spoke to reporters on Tuesday and said, “I’ve never been intoxicated on the job. This FBI director has been on the job twice as many days as every director before me.”
Patel appeared alongside his attorney, Todd Blanche, who told reporters the allegations were “blatantly false.”
The article reportedly also contained several spelling errors and formatting inconsistencies. However, Patel’s team noted the errors were not the main focus; the lawsuit is based on “journalistic negligence” by the outlet.
“My concerns are completely around the anonymous reporting that comes forth constantly,” Blanche said about the incident.
Several online users reacted to Kimmel’s viral monologue and agreed with him.”Kash and Pete remind me of the old joke about a guy who drank too much so he could forget about his drinking problem… alas, these guys have many more problems!!” one person wrote.
This was beautiful Admin. Thank you for your reflections.