The head of the FBI goes to court. “Evidence of deliberate denigration”
“A reasonable request for additional time to respond to 19 detailed, albeit absurd, allegations was denied. A detailed letter from an attorney, sent in advance of publication, pointing out specific falsehoods and providing contrary evidence was ignored. Director Patel himself was not interviewed nor was he given any real opportunity to address the allegations in his own words. This is not negligence. This demonstrates deliberate and harmful defamation,” the lawsuit said.
A spokesman for “Atlantic” issued a statement in which he emphasized the editorial position. The magazine stands by its reports about Patel. He also announced that he would defend the magazine and its journalists against this “groundless lawsuit.”
Accusations against the head of the FBI. He is supposed to get drunk regularly
Friday's magazine article reported that Patel regularly gets drunk in public. According to the letter, his behavior is known to the administration of President Donald Trump and raises its concern. The letter reported that on several occasions over the past year, members of the security detail had difficulty waking up the FBI director who appeared to be drunk.
In one case, security forces were to apply for breaching equipment typically used by anti-terrorist units. The reason was that the head of the FBI was unreachable behind closed doors.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt sent the Atlantic her position on the matter. In it, she said the FBI director remains “a key player on the administration's law and order team.”
The magazine also reported that Patel was concerned about his job and that the administration was already talking about his possible successor. After the publication, there were calls among Democrats for the FBI director to resign.
