FBI Director Kash Patel files $250m lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine

FBI Director Kash Patel has initiated a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine over an article that accused him of problematic behavior including heavy drinking and unexplained work absences that allegedly threatened public safety. The magazine, which based its reporting on interviews with over two dozen sources, is defending its journalism and plans to contest the lawsuit vigorously. To prevail in court, Patel must prove the publication demonstrated "actual malice" under a 1964 Supreme Court standard requiring evidence that The Atlantic either knew the claims were false or failed to properly verify them.