House Judiciary Democrats have formally requested that FBI Director Kash Patel undergo the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test after The Atlantic published a report alleging his drinking habits were a "recurring source of concern across the government."
The Democrats outlined their concerns in a letter sent to Patel on Tuesday, stating,
"There are numerous accounts that you consume alcohol to the point of illness, direct profanity-laced outbursts at support staff, and pass out drunk behind locked doors in episodes making you so unreachable that agents have had to fetch SWAT-level breaching equipment to awaken you."
The letter continued,
"These glimpses of your relationship to alcohol would be alarming to see in an FBI agent; for us to see them in the FBI Director himself is shocking and indicative of a public emergency."
The Atlantic's investigation, which Patel has called defamatory, cited multiple sources describing his excessive drinking in private clubs with White House staff. The report alleged that Patel frequently postponed meetings due to hangovers and, in one instance, required FBI agents to use SWAT-level "breaching equipment" to rouse him after he became unresponsive behind a locked door.
Patel has denied all allegations, asserting that he has never been drunk on the job. He has also filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic in response to the report.
As of the publication of this article, Patel has not responded to the House Judiciary Democrats' demand, which had a deadline of 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
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