Citing unnamed current and former officials as sources, Fitzpatrick wrote, among other things, that Patel “is deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy” and that he “has good reasons to think so — including some having to do with what witnesses described to me as bouts of excessive drinking.”
Commenting on a clip of the reporter defending her work in an interview with MS NOW’s Jen Psaki, Patel wrote Friday on [social media](https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2045327321192599867?s=20): “see you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court. .. But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up.”
Kash, like everyone else in the Trump regime, is speaking to an audience of one.
papaHans on
Was he drinking when he said it is a “legal lay up”?
here-i-am-now on
It is a legal layup . . . for the Atlantic.
Looking forward to his deposition.
Extension-Society455 on
Well after ten Scotch and Sodas it makes more sense.
hskfmn on
Discovery’s gonna be *amazing!*
OSU1922 on
Let’s see if the dudes cleaning up his drunken pukes and babysitting him respect him enough to lie on the stand under oath for him?!?!
After-Smoke-3971 on
Does he not understand that he’s now subject to depositions, questions and discovery?
AnonymousInMI on
To be fair if I worked for Trump I’d probably be an alcoholic as well.
GlassjawIsGreat on
Does this idiot really think THE ATLANTIC would post something that opened it up to litigation without checking their sources and having receipts? That Discovery phase is going to be a hoot.
eezyE4free on
Atlantic needs to countersue when Kashy withdraws his suit right before discovery.
odenihy on
Idiot posts bad legal analysis on twitter. Shocking.
Embarrassed_Fee6951 on
We’ve all seen his hacked emails. A lay up is definitely not easy for him
WaterFriendsIV on
He’s awfully short for talking about lay ups. I doubt he could make one without a boost from one of his stronger, more manly friends.
Basic_Yam_715 on
I’d look at his cocaine budget too…
FranksGun on
After seeing how the writer of the piece worded it (pretty carefully) i dont see how this is a layup. Maybe an Angel Reese layup
chubby_pink_donut on
Patel is Charlie Brown ready kick it out of the park. The Atlantic is Lucy holding the football.
nicopedia305 on
Can’t wait for the discovery portion of this suit.
devereaux on
Legal layup FOR WHO? The other side, surely.
cometflight on
Patel might’ve been sauced when he suggested it.
ticklemesatan on
He’s too short to do a lay up
mowotlarx on
We literally have him on camera chugging and spraying beer at the Olympics. Good luck.
demacnei on
This calls for lots of popcorn
HyruleTrigger on
It’s absolutely a legal lay up… In that legally he has no foot to stand on because the truth is its own defense and he definitely did those things.
That’s not what he means, of course, but he’s also too stupid, too corrupt, and too useless to understand most things. Just like his boss!
Prior_Implement_9279 on
I don’t think this ugly fuck knows what a layup is. He certainly hasn’t ever made one his entire life.
RelentlessBanana on
Can’t wait for the LegalEagle episode to drop
batmancdn55 on
Short un athletic man doesn’t know what a slam dunk is.
RoswellRedux on
Yes, a chronically drunk/hungover podcaster is a really good judge of the merits of any lawsuit, let alone his own. I hope he represents himself in court.
crazyKB88 on
A “legal lay up” would be prosecuting this entire administration but unfortunately lawmakers aren’t very good at basketball.
themagicrat88 on
Kash Patel can’t read
thingsorfreedom on
I’ve decided no news source should report a story about a lawsuit being filed by a politician until its in the middle of discovery, ideally after the one suing has been deposed.
myotheraccount2023 on
This suit is straight out of the Trump playbook. Patel won’t win this and he knows it. But it might scare other media outlets out of doing follow-up reporting. He probably hopes he can extract a huge settlement like Trump has done. Of course, that won’t happen here. He’ll drop the case once he’s realised that and it’s had the chilling effect it’s meant to.
topTopqualitea on
If it’s a lay up, he’s Ben Simmons.
DonaldsMushroom on
How is he qualified for this job? In the Trump world its because:
He has authored a MAGA-themed children’s book trilogy titled “The Plot Against the King,” published by BRAVE Books.
Key Aspects of the Trilogy: remember these are CHILDREN’S BOOKS!
Narrative: The books are a “fantastical retelling” of the investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, presenting it as a conspiracy against “King Donald”.
Characters: The stories feature Patel as “Kash the Distinguished Discoverer” (a wizard), King Donald, and characters representing political opponents such as “Hillary Queenton,” “Comma-la-la-la,” and “Sleepy Joe”.
Goal: The series is aimed at educating the next generation on the MAGA movement and promoting the narrative that Donald Trump is fighting against the “Deep State”.
jasoncross00 on
I sincerely hope he presses forward with this (he won’t, it’s the usual MAGA idle legal threat).
Discovery would be AMAZING in this case.
jerslan on
He’s right, it is a lay up… for The Atlantic’s legal team.
superpastaaisle on
I don’t know shit about fuck:
But is the Atlantic allowed to countersue in the event that he drops the case (in order to force discovery?)
Idea for legal standing: (if dropped) Patel has caused damages to the Atlantic by raising a lawsuit in bad faith in order to harm the Atlantic’s credibility as a news organization. By not allowing the matter arising to be settled in court, the Atlantic is not able to repair its public image.
Zaius1968 on
Defamation requires intent. Simply reporting facts and/or events as you discover them is fair game.
ChuckBS on
The deposition transcripts will be lovely to read
sauerkraut916 on
The Atlantic has been a highly regarded publication since the mid 1850s. When they publish a current news story you can be sure they have done their homework and verified their sources.
Bring it on Ka$h – they will prove every embarrassing thing if which you’re accu$ed.
Available_Leather_10 on
Newsflash: Kash was drunk when he said that.
Extra Extra: Kash is also objectively not very bright when sober.
Thomasrdotorg on
In Australia there was a legal case where a bloke accused of SA (who did not have a conviction from his criminal case) got rather over confide t and sued for defamation.
He lost.
The judge summed it up perfectly and provided a good lesson to Mr Patel “having escaped the lions den… he went back for his hat…”
46 Comments
He is too jacked up on alcohol and/or illicit drugs to understand basic concepts.
Him disappearing due to booze was confirmed by 7 or 9 sources (can’t remember).
He’s fucked and he’s not Trump so this won’t work.
I think he actually said a “legal keg stand”
Could they counter sue?
From Jordan Rubin, Deadline: Legal Blog writer and former prosecutor for the New York County District Attorney’s Office in Manhattan:
Before he [filed his defamation lawsuit](https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/patel-lawsuit-the-atlantic-fbi-report) on Monday against The Atlantic, FBI Director [Kash Patel](https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/phone-records-jack-smith-2020-trump-kash-patel-fbi-firings) said he had a claim that “some would call a legal lay up.”
It’s unclear who would call it that. But in any event, it’s unlikely that Patel will have as easy a time in court as he suggested.
His suit stems from a [damning report](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences/686839/) published Friday that was written by Sarah Fitzpatrick. She is also named as a defendant in [Patel’s complaint](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.291527/gov.uscourts.dcd.291527.1.0.pdf), which describes the report as a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece.”
Citing unnamed current and former officials as sources, Fitzpatrick wrote, among other things, that Patel “is deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy” and that he “has good reasons to think so — including some having to do with what witnesses described to me as bouts of excessive drinking.”
Commenting on a clip of the reporter defending her work in an interview with MS NOW’s Jen Psaki, Patel wrote Friday on [social media](https://x.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/2045327321192599867?s=20): “see you and your entire entourage of false reporting in court. .. But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up.”
The [“actual malice”](https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/trump-cnn-defamation-lawsuit-appeal) standard is a notoriously difficult one for public-figure plaintiffs to meet. They must show that defendants knowingly published falsities or recklessly disregarded the truth.
Read more: [https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/kash-patel-defamation-lawsuit-the-atlantic-actual-malice-standard](https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/kash-patel-defamation-lawsuit-the-atlantic-actual-malice-standard)
Kash, like everyone else in the Trump regime, is speaking to an audience of one.
Was he drinking when he said it is a “legal lay up”?
It is a legal layup . . . for the Atlantic.
Looking forward to his deposition.
Well after ten Scotch and Sodas it makes more sense.
Discovery’s gonna be *amazing!*
Let’s see if the dudes cleaning up his drunken pukes and babysitting him respect him enough to lie on the stand under oath for him?!?!
Does he not understand that he’s now subject to depositions, questions and discovery?
To be fair if I worked for Trump I’d probably be an alcoholic as well.
Does this idiot really think THE ATLANTIC would post something that opened it up to litigation without checking their sources and having receipts? That Discovery phase is going to be a hoot.
Atlantic needs to countersue when Kashy withdraws his suit right before discovery.
Idiot posts bad legal analysis on twitter. Shocking.
We’ve all seen his hacked emails. A lay up is definitely not easy for him
He’s awfully short for talking about lay ups. I doubt he could make one without a boost from one of his stronger, more manly friends.
I’d look at his cocaine budget too…
After seeing how the writer of the piece worded it (pretty carefully) i dont see how this is a layup. Maybe an Angel Reese layup
Patel is Charlie Brown ready kick it out of the park. The Atlantic is Lucy holding the football.
Can’t wait for the discovery portion of this suit.
Legal layup FOR WHO? The other side, surely.
Patel might’ve been sauced when he suggested it.
He’s too short to do a lay up
We literally have him on camera chugging and spraying beer at the Olympics. Good luck.
This calls for lots of popcorn
It’s absolutely a legal lay up… In that legally he has no foot to stand on because the truth is its own defense and he definitely did those things.
That’s not what he means, of course, but he’s also too stupid, too corrupt, and too useless to understand most things. Just like his boss!
I don’t think this ugly fuck knows what a layup is. He certainly hasn’t ever made one his entire life.
Can’t wait for the LegalEagle episode to drop
Short un athletic man doesn’t know what a slam dunk is.
Yes, a chronically drunk/hungover podcaster is a really good judge of the merits of any lawsuit, let alone his own. I hope he represents himself in court.
A “legal lay up” would be prosecuting this entire administration but unfortunately lawmakers aren’t very good at basketball.
Kash Patel can’t read
I’ve decided no news source should report a story about a lawsuit being filed by a politician until its in the middle of discovery, ideally after the one suing has been deposed.
This suit is straight out of the Trump playbook. Patel won’t win this and he knows it. But it might scare other media outlets out of doing follow-up reporting. He probably hopes he can extract a huge settlement like Trump has done. Of course, that won’t happen here. He’ll drop the case once he’s realised that and it’s had the chilling effect it’s meant to.
If it’s a lay up, he’s Ben Simmons.
How is he qualified for this job? In the Trump world its because:
He has authored a MAGA-themed children’s book trilogy titled “The Plot Against the King,” published by BRAVE Books.
Key Aspects of the Trilogy: remember these are CHILDREN’S BOOKS!
Narrative: The books are a “fantastical retelling” of the investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, presenting it as a conspiracy against “King Donald”.
Characters: The stories feature Patel as “Kash the Distinguished Discoverer” (a wizard), King Donald, and characters representing political opponents such as “Hillary Queenton,” “Comma-la-la-la,” and “Sleepy Joe”.
Goal: The series is aimed at educating the next generation on the MAGA movement and promoting the narrative that Donald Trump is fighting against the “Deep State”.
I sincerely hope he presses forward with this (he won’t, it’s the usual MAGA idle legal threat).
Discovery would be AMAZING in this case.
He’s right, it is a lay up… for The Atlantic’s legal team.
I don’t know shit about fuck:
But is the Atlantic allowed to countersue in the event that he drops the case (in order to force discovery?)
Idea for legal standing: (if dropped) Patel has caused damages to the Atlantic by raising a lawsuit in bad faith in order to harm the Atlantic’s credibility as a news organization. By not allowing the matter arising to be settled in court, the Atlantic is not able to repair its public image.
Defamation requires intent. Simply reporting facts and/or events as you discover them is fair game.
The deposition transcripts will be lovely to read
The Atlantic has been a highly regarded publication since the mid 1850s. When they publish a current news story you can be sure they have done their homework and verified their sources.
Bring it on Ka$h – they will prove every embarrassing thing if which you’re accu$ed.
Newsflash: Kash was drunk when he said that.
Extra Extra: Kash is also objectively not very bright when sober.
In Australia there was a legal case where a bloke accused of SA (who did not have a conviction from his criminal case) got rather over confide t and sued for defamation.
He lost.
The judge summed it up perfectly and provided a good lesson to Mr Patel “having escaped the lions den… he went back for his hat…”