Atlantic writer Sarah Fitzpatrick appeared on The Briefing with Jen Psaki on April 17, 2026, after her report on FBI Director Kash Patel, in which she wrote that he has alarmed colleagues with erratic behavior and excessive drinking—including drinking to the point of obvious intoxication in front of White House staff, security details struggling to wake him because he was seemingly intoxicated, and a “freak-out” where he panicked and told allies he had been fired after being locked out of a computer system.
Patel’s advisor dismissed the article as “fabricated stories.” Patel also responded to The Atlantic saying: “Print it all. False. I’ll see you in court. Bring your checkbook.”
Asked how she responded to the criticism and the threat of a lawsuit, Fitzpatrick did not back down.
“I say that I am a very careful, very diligent, award winning investigative reporter with a history of award winning work across multiple organizations, You and I, in fact, have worked together previously. I stand by every word of this reporting.
We have excellent attorneys and it is a surprise, it is a surprising statement, but a very telling statement I believe. We reached out for comment to the White House and to the Justice Department, neither of which disputed anything. We gave multiple opportunities, including 19 detailed questions. So we stand by every word.
Look this is telling. Because there are so many people. You alluded to it earlier. These are not the types of people willing to speak out outside of the FBI, especially right now because Kash Patel is going after people with polygraphs in a way that has never happened at the bureau. So for it to be this level of alarm, this is people genuinely concerned that America is in danger as a result of this conduct.
I feel a real responsibility to take care of that, reporting incredibly carefully. The Atlantic is nothing but diligent. We have amazing lawyers and amazing editors and I stand by every word.”
In Washington, calling yourself an “award winning investigative reporter” doesn’t make the story true — especially when it’s built on anonymous sources and has now triggered a $250 million defamation lawsuit.
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