Overview
- The Atlantic reported that Director Kash Patel handed out personalized bourbon bottles that featured the FBI seal and his name, with photos showing labels that sometimes styled his first name as “Ka$h.”
- The FBI said the bottles were part of a long‑standing gift‑exchange tradition and that any bottles Patel gave personally were paid for or reimbursed, adding that policies were followed.
- Current and former bureau employees quoted in coverage rejected that framing, calling the practice unheard of and noting the FBI’s typical zero‑tolerance policy on alcohol at work.
- Patel filed a $250 million defamation suit against The Atlantic and reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick after earlier stories alleged heavy drinking, missed meetings, and erratic behavior, and the magazine said it stands by its reporting.
- MS NOW reported that an FBI unit in Huntsville opened a criminal inquiry into Fitzpatrick, which the bureau publicly denied, a dispute that has raised fresh concern about pressure on journalists.