The Atlantic article said FBI Director Kash Patel "has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences."

The Atlantic said it stands by its reporting on Patel and called his lawsuit “meritless.”

The Atlantic article says, among other things:

On multiple occasions in the past year, members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated, according to information supplied to Justice Department and White House officials. A request for “breaching equipment”—normally used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings—was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request.