Kash Patel faces claims of excessive drinking, absences. Here's what we know

In April 2026, claims spread online that FBI Director Kash Patel had been drinking excessively and exhibiting erratic behavior, resulting in absences from work and periods when he was unresponsive or unavailable.

According to a claim in an Instagram video, Patel was so intoxicated during one incident that staffers had to request a "battering ram" on his door to wake him up and many feared his behavior could compromise national security.

Another X user shared a video of Patel drinking beer with the U.S. men's hockey team after they won the Olympic gold medal, writing, "FBI Director Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with excessive drinking and unexplained absences." 

Snopes readers also sent us numerous requests to verify whether the claims about Patel's drinking were authentic.

The claims stem from a report in The Atlantic by journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick that relied on anonymous sources who shared several instances of Patel's alleged behavior. Because Snopes does not rely on anonymous sources and could not independently verify the details in The Atlantic's report, we've left this claim unrated. 

Excessive drinking by Patel or any other FBI staffer would likely violate the Department of Justice ethics handbook, which says employees are "prohibited from habitually using alcohol or other intoxicants to excess."

The White House and FBI did not answer specific questions about the allegations against Patel or a potential investigation into them. Instead, the White House sent an emailed statement attributed to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praising Patel's leadership and maintaining that he "remains a critical player on the [Trump] Administration's law and order team." The FBI directed us to Patel's public statements denying the report's allegations on his X account. 

The FBI responded to The Atlantic's report with a statement attributed to Patel: "Print it, all false, I'll see you in court — bring your checkbook." On April 20, Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, calling the report a "malicious hit piece." In response, The Atlantic called the lawsuit "meritless" and said it stood by the report.

The Department of Justice had not responded to our request for comment by the time of publication.

The article details several instances of Patel's alleged behavior causing concern among fellow FBI employees. He reportedly had so many alcohol-fueled nights that meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled to later in the day. 

In one alleged incident, members of his security detail reportedly had to request "breaching equipment" used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams because Patel was unresponsive from behind locked doors. While a social media post above alleges they used a "battering ram," the article does not specify which equipment they used. Employees also had difficulty waking him up, according to the report.

In February, Snopes covered a verified incident referenced in The Atlantic's report where Patel drank beer and celebrated with the U.S. men's hockey team in their locker room after they beat Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics to win gold.

Fitzpatrick said she spoke to two dozen sources who wished to remain anonymous, including "current and former FBI officials, staff at law-enforcement and intelligence agencies, hospitality-industry workers, members of Congress, political operatives, lobbyists, and former advisers."

In an interview, Fitzpatrick told NPR that she learned about Patel's behavior through months of reporting. She said her sources were motivated to speak out because his behavior had serious national-security consequences.

"For Patel to be in a position in which he seemingly would not be able to respond in the event of an emergency […] our adversaries could be taking advantage of this behavior," she said.

For further reading, we have reported on numerous rumors involving Patel.