What happened
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit on Monday accusing The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick of publishing a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece” designed to destroy his “reputation and drive him from office.” Fitzpatrick, citing more than two dozen unidentified sources, reported last week that Patel was “deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy” and “has good reasons to think so,” as his “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” have alarmed FBI and Justice Department officials.
Who said what
“We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel” and “will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit,” the publication said in a statement. As a public figure, Patel will have to prove “actual malice,” a “higher standard than an ordinary citizen” claiming defamation, The New York Times said.
Patel said on social media that meeting that standard would be “a legal layup.” But his complaint doesn’t “even hit the backboard,” First Amendment lawyer Adam Steinbaugh said on X. But it “has all the markings” of the Trump administration “playbook” of filing lawsuits “meant to silence dissent by driving up the cost of speaking,” Steinbaugh said in a separate statement.
What next?
If Patel’s suit isn’t “tossed out” before trial, CNN said, he “could be required to answer questions under oath about the alleged behavior” in the discovery process.
Patel accused the magazine of publishing a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece”