House Judiciary Committee Democrats are escalating pressure on FBI Director Kash Patel, demanding he provide Congress with documents related to allegations of excessive alcohol consumption on the job. In a letter sent Tuesday evening to Patel and Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the lawmakers cited a recent Atlantic report that described a pattern of heavy drinking, security concerns, and erratic behavior.
“These glimpses of your relationship to alcohol would be alarming to see in an FBI agent; for us to see them in the FBI Director himself is shocking and indicative of a public emergency,” the Democrats wrote in the joint letter, obtained by The Hill.
The request specifically asks Patel to submit his security clearance questionnaire, his results from the World Health Organization’s alcohol disorders test, and a sworn statement verifying the accuracy of materials he provides the committee. The move follows Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s declaration that Patel is a “grave risk” to national security.
According to the Atlantic article, current FBI and Justice Department officials described Patel as difficult to reach, with his alcohol consumption a “recurring source of concern across the government.” The report alleged that his security detail had “difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated” and that meetings were often delayed after long nights of drinking. The lawmakers quoted the article directly, noting “episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences” and claims that Patel “consume[s] alcohol to the point of illness, direct[s] profanity-laced outbursts at support staff, and pass[es] out drink behind locked doors in episodes making him so unreachable that agents have had to fetch SWAT-level breaching equipment to waken you.”
Patel has forcefully denied the allegations. During a Tuesday press conference on a separate Justice Department matter, he said, “I’ve never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit. And any one of you that wants to participate, bring it on. I’ll see you in court.” He also disputed the Atlantic’s claim that he was locked out of his government computer and believed he had been fired, calling it “an absolute lie.”
The FBI director filed a defamation suit against the Atlantic on Monday seeking $250 million in damages. A House Judiciary spokesperson defended Patel, stating, “Crime is down to record-low levels. Criminals are behind bars, and America is safer thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Director Patel. This is just another unserious effort from anonymous sources and partisan actors to attack the President and his Administration.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also backed Patel, criticizing the reliance on anonymous sources. “My concerns are completely around the anonymous reporting that comes forth constantly,” Blanche said. “When an entire article is based on anonymous sources and there’s things in the article suggesting, for example, apparently that senior DOJ personnel were informed of something, that’s me. I wasn’t informed. No one called me about that.”
The Hill has reached out to the FBI and Jordan’s office for comment. The controversy adds to mounting scrutiny of Patel’s tenure, with Rep. Ted Lieu predicting Patel’s exit amid broader cabinet turmoil. The letter also comes as the House Ethics Committee weighs sanctions in a separate FEMA fraud case involving Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick.
