FBI Director's Paranoia & Drinking: A Washington Scandal

0:00On April 18th, a new report from the Atlantic is stirring up Washington, claiming FBI director Cash Patel has turned deeply paranoid about getting fired and has been hitting the bottle hard. Officials say his drinking has led to wild moments, like security struggling to wake him for meetings. Staffers even allegedly called for SWAT-style breaching gear to bust open his door after late-night sessions. This all ramped up early in his tenure, with meetings pushed back to fit his habits, raising red flags about FBI rules and security risks. Patel snapped last week, thinking a computer glitch meant he was out, sparking a full panic that hit the White House. He's long enjoyed drinks at clubs in DC and Vegas, and drew heat for chucking beers with the U.S. hockey team after their Olympic gold. Patel fire back hard, calling the story total fiction, and threatening to sue the Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick. His advisor, Erica Knight, jumped into, touting his work ethic only 17 days off since starting

1:01twice the office time as his predecessors. Meanwhile, concerns linger over his fitness for the top cop job, as the debate heats up between these explosive claims and his fierce pushback.