A liberal watchdog group filed a Freedom of Information Act request Tuesday asking the FBI and Justice Department for records that could show whether Director Kash Patel has shown up to work impaired by alcohol.
Democracy Forward wants Patel’s daily calendars from February 2025 onward. The group also seeks any messages or reports from his security detail mentioning words such as “drinking,” “hungover,” “inebriated,” “unresponsive,” or “won’t wake.”
The April 21 request landed days after Patel sued The Atlantic magazine for $250 million. The magazine published a story on Friday, April 17, that quoted more than two dozen unnamed sources, including current and former FBI officials.
They claimed Patel drank heavily at private clubs in Washington and Las Vegas, sometimes to the point of obvious intoxication.
Some sources said early-morning meetings had to be rescheduled because of his late-night outings. Others described security agents struggling to wake him.
Patel’s switch response
Patel called the story “fake news” and a “malicious hit piece.” His lawsuit says the claims are false and meant to damage him and force him from office. The Atlantic has stood by its reporting.
Democracy Forward cited the Atlantic article directly in its FOIA filing. The group wrote that the public needs to know if Patel’s alleged behavior affects FBI operations, wastes security resources, or creates security risks at the top of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.
The request seeks communications between security personnel that include the specific intoxication-related terms. It also wants schedules that might show unexplained gaps or rescheduled events.
FOIA experts say that these kinds of keyword searches are common in requests for information about high-profile officials.
The FBI must search its systems and make any matching records public, unless they are protected by privacy, national security, or ongoing investigations.
Also Read: FBI Chief Kash Patel Breaks Silence After Viral Reports of Excessive Drinking, Unexplained Absences
Democracy Forward, which often targets Trump administration figures, termed the request as basic oversight.
Patel, a longtime Trump ally and former congressional staffer, took over the FBI earlier this year. When he took office, many MAGA supporters saw him as a reformer who would root out bias within the bureau. However, the other side of the political divide was worried that he would turn the agency into a political weapon.
The FOIA request could force the FBI to hand over internal documents that either back up or undercut The Atlantic magazine’s claims. Either way, the records would likely become public.
If the FBI finds messages describing a director who is “unresponsive” or needs help to wake up, it could fuel fresh attacks on Patel’s fitness for the job.
If no such records exist, Patel’s team could point to the empty search results as proof that the Atlantic story was thin.
Patel has not responded directly to the new records demand. In his lawsuit against The Atlantic, he denied drinking to excess and said he performs his duties without issue.
Now, just months into the job, the focus has shifted from policy to personal conduct. The FOIA will test how quickly the FBI can search sensitive security logs and how much it chooses to release.
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Democracy Forward gave the government the standard 20-business-day window to respond, but complex national-security requests often take longer. If the group does not like the response, it can sue to force disclosure.
The request brings another layer to the public fight over Patel’s leadership. One side sees a director under unfair attack from partisan opponents and hostile media.
The other sees a potential vulnerability at the heart of the FBI that taxpayers have a right to examine.
The calendars and security messages, if released, could settle some of the dispute. Or they could simply pour more fuel on it.
Either outcome will play out in public view, because that is exactly what the FOIA process is designed to do.
