Kash Patel denies excessive drinking allegations as total farce' in Senate hearing

"What we are learning about what's happening at the FBI is anything but normal. When your private actions make it impossible for you to perform your public duties, we have a big problem these reports about your conduct, including reports you're being so drunk and hungover that your staff had to force entry into your home are extremely alarming, if true, they demonstrate a gross dereliction of your duty and a betrayal of public trust."

"The Atlantic reported that Patel's alcohol consumption had become a recurring source of concern across the government, citing interviews with more than two dozen people, including current and former FBI officials. The most serious allegations include that his security detail on at least one occasion struggled to rouse him because he appeared intoxicated, and that agents had sought Swat-level breaching equipment to gain access to a room where he was unresponsive behind a locked door."

"Embattled FBI director Kash Patel has denied under oath allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences on the job, dismissing them as baseless during a fiery congressional hearing. Patel sought to push back as Democrats challenged him over the extremely alarming reports, which ran in the Atlantic, which they argued would a mount to a gross dereliction of duty."

"It's a total farce. I don't even know where you get this stuff, Patel told Chris Van Hollen, ranking member of the Senate appropriations subcommittee, after he asked about the claims reported by the Atlantic. I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations. When Van Hollen asked if Patel would be willing to take a test to determine whether he has a drinking problem, the FBI director snapped that he would provided the senator would take it alongside him."

Kash Patel denied under oath claims that he drank excessively and had unexplained absences from his job. He rejected the allegations as baseless during a contentious congressional hearing. Democrats said the reports were extremely alarming and would represent a dereliction of duty if true, citing concerns that his private conduct could prevent him from performing public responsibilities. The claims included that his security detail had difficulty waking him due to apparent intoxication and that agents sought specialized breaching equipment to enter a locked room where he was unresponsive. Patel also sued the magazine that published the reports and the story’s author, seeking $250 million in damages.

Read at www.theguardian.com