Following through on his threat, FBI director Kash Patel has filed a $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic for alleged “false” reporting after the media outlet’s latest story about him was released.
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As previously reported, The Atlantic published the report titled “The FBI Director Is MIA” on Friday. In the story, reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick shares details from conversations she had with more than two dozen people about Patel’s behavior.
Patel immediately responded to the story, denying everything Fitzpatrick wrote. “See you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court,” he wrote on X. “But do keep at it with the fake news. Actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up.”
While speaking to Reuters about the situation, Patel claimed that The Atlantic’s story is a “lie.”
“They were given the truth before they published,” he alleged. “And they chose to print falsehoods anyway.”
In a statement, The Atlantic declared, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”
Patel’s Lawsuit Claims The Atlantic “Crossed the Legal Line” by Publishing the Story
Patel agreed that The Atlantic is free to criticize the FBI’s leadership. However, he argued in the complaint that the media outlet “crossed the legal line” by publishing the story.
The complaint further claimed the article was “replete with false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office.”
Patel further alleged in the court documents that The Atlantic ignored the FBI’s denials and failed to respond to a letter from the FBI director’s attorney, Jesse Binnall, sent right before the article was published.
The letter was sent to senior editors and The Atlantic’s legal department. In it, Binnall requested more time to refute the “19 allegations” that Fitzpatrick told the FBI’s press office she wrote. The letter was notably sent at 4 p.m., and the article was published at 6:20 p.m. the same day.
Patel’s legal team further accused The Atlantic of acting in “actual malice.”
“Defendants’ conscious decision to ignore the detailed, specific, and substantive refutations in the Pre-Publication Letter,” the lawsuit reads. “And their refusal to give a reasonable amount of time for the FBI and Director Patel to respond, is among the strongest possible evidence of actual malice.”
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia.