Kash Patel has filed a lawsuit over a profile piece. But, by suing, the FBI director only brings more light to allegations about his behaviors and risks future embarrassment

FBI Director Kash Patel’s $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic did little to dampen the disturbing allegations in what he calls its “hit piece” against him — and instead sparked a firestorm of broadsides from his critics.

Patel’s federal court filing - which included a plethora of typos - summarized the report’s nearly 2,200 words of somewhat dense prose into a concise list of 17 easy-to-read sentences about the damning information provided by more than two dozen anonymous sources, some of them current and former FBI officials or staffers at law-enforcement and intelligence agencies.

The allegations cited include that Patel “is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication, in many cases at the private club Ned’s in Washington, D.C., while in the presence of White House and other administration staff,” that he’s “also known to drink to excess at the Poodle Room in Las Vegas, where he frequently spends parts of his weekends” and that “members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated” multiple times over the past year.

  • WesternInfidels@feddit.online
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    11 hours ago

    I guess the lawsuit claims are always fiction, aren’t they? Still, I’m trying to conjure up the imaginary fairy-tale future where Patel could have earned US$250 million if only the darn meany newspapers hadn’t laughed at him. I’m not coming up with a lot.

    • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
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      10 hours ago

      US civil law is a joke. anyone can start a suit for any number.

      Most countries don’t allow this and have loser pays laws.

      • artyom@piefed.social
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        2 hours ago

        I mean I don’t know anything about those other countries but it seems like that would dissuade people from filing legitimate complaints. Similar to “false rape” laws that might dissuade victims from pressing charges against an abuser for fear of retribution.

        In the US you can simply counter sue for legal fees and time. Many contracts also include a “loser pays” clause.