"The probability of Donald Trump firing him before the end of the year is 64%, according to the event prediction platform Polymarket. His reputation has plummeted following the publication of a report in the digital media outlet The Atlantic accusing him of excessive alcohol consumption and alleging that his FBI colleagues had trouble waking him up after he had drunk too much. He has denied the allegations and has sued the publication for defamation, seeking $250 million in damages."
"In a tense, heated, and contentious debate, he asserted that reports portraying him as a man with a drinking problem are unequivocally, categorically false. I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations, he told the lawmakers, some of whom he attacked mercilessly. The meeting, intended to discuss the FBI budget, turned into a powder keg for Patel, who has faced criticism in recent weeks."
"The Atlantic also published a lengthy report last week alleging that the FBI director has been stockpiling bottles of bourbon. He reportedly travels with some of them, having had his name engraved on the labels, to give away as gifts at public events. Saturday Night Live (SNL), one of the most iconic comedy shows on American television, has also stirred up the controversy."
"Last weekend, it aired a skit in which a comedian impersonating Patel arrives at a bar where impersonators of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh (played by Matt Damon), both of whom have also been linked to alcohol, are also present. He boasts to them about having made his own bourbon. Does this bar take Kash? says comedian Aziz Ansari, impersonating Patel, as he bursts in. I made my own FBI bourbon with my name on it."
Kash Patel faces growing controversy over alleged alcohol misuse and bourbon stockpiling. A prediction platform estimates a 64% chance that Donald Trump will fire him before year end. Patel denies claims that he drinks excessively and that colleagues had trouble waking him after heavy drinking, and he has sued for defamation seeking $250 million. At a Senate hearing focused on the FBI budget, Patel faced a tense exchange and attacked lawmakers while insisting the allegations are categorically false. Additional reporting alleges he travels with engraved bourbon bottles as gifts. A Saturday Night Live skit further mocked the claims through a parody of Patel at a bar with other alcohol-linked impersonations.
Read at english.elpais.com
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