Some colleagues of Kash Patel, the highly controversial director of the federal police, fear that his behavior may become a “threat to public security.”
Numerous nervous breakdowns, postponed meetings due to clear drunkenness, explosive and unpredictable behavior, rash and irresponsible decisions… In the United States, FBI director Kash Patel is under fire following revelations by the American media outlet The Atlantic in an investigation published on April 17. The report, relying on numerous anonymous sources, describes the erratic behavior of the head of the prestigious intelligence agency, who took over the reins at the beginning of the year 2025.
Considered a significant ally within the Trump administration and loyal to the American President, the FBI director had previously been in charge of national security during the first term of the head of state. His first year leading the main federal agency for criminal law enforcement and domestic intelligence has been marked by numerous controversies regarding his management of the organization. The frequent episodes of drunkenness by Kash Patel reported by the American media are not helping dispel rumors of his possible dismissal, which have been circulating since the beginning of the month.
In detail, the journalistic investigation reports the statements of several well-placed sources at the White House who are concerned about Patel’s “alcohol consumption,” well known “within the government.” According to these sources, Patel “was known to drink to the point of obvious drunkenness, notably at the private club Ned’s in Washington, in the presence of White House members and other administration officials.” His team also struggled to wake up the agency director, who oversees more than 38,000 employees, as he was intoxicated. “A request for breaching equipment – generally used by the intervention and hostage rescue teams to quickly enter buildings – was made last year because Patel was unreachable behind locked doors,” according to several officials cited by The Atlantic.
The newspaper notably tells of an emblematic episode of the director of the FBI’s frequent outbursts of anger, who, convinced he was constantly under threat by Donald Trump, imagined himself being dismissed almost every day. As he was about to leave his office on April 10, Patel reportedly had trouble connecting to the IT service. “Convinced he was blocked, he panicked and practically called his colleagues and allies to announce that he had been fired by the White House, according to nine people familiar with his actions. Two of them described his behavior as ‘nervous breakdowns’,” the newspaper wrote, even though the anomaly was ultimately just a technical error.
“Some of Patel’s colleagues at the FBI fear that his personal behavior may become a threat to public security,” officials warn. They fear the “consequences of a possible terrorist attack on American soil during Patel’s tenure, and that their fears have been considerably increased since Trump launched his military campaign against Iran,” expressing concerns about his lack of skills.
Contacted by The Atlantic, Kash Patel vigorously denied the accusations against him. “Everything is false, I’ll see you in court – bring your checkbook,” the FBI responded in a statement attributed to Patel.
The head of the American federal police has been embroiled in controversy on several occasions. Last July, the Department of Justice and the FBI announced that they had not found any new elements that would justify the release of additional documents on Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased sex offender in 2019, causing outrage among those hoping for explosive revelations.
Kash Patel also appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House of Representatives following the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk in September 2025, after which he loudly proclaimed that the presumed perpetrator of the “heinous murder” was in custody, embarrassing local authorities before that suspect was eventually cleared and released. Kash Patel’s authority was also shaken by a civil complaint, in which three former FBI leaders dismissed in August accused him of “politicizing” the agency to please his superiors, including Donald Trump.
