Kash Patel Denies Heavy Drinking Reports at FBI Budget Hearing

FBI Director Kash Patel denied allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences during a Senate hearing on the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the FBI, DEA, USMS, and ATF held on May 12, 2026. Patel testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies that day. " Patel told Sen.

Van Hollen opened the exchange with sharp criticism drawn from the Atlantic report. "What we are learning about what’s happening at the FBI is anything but normal," he said. " Patel responded sharply.

"It’s a total farce. I don’t even know where you get this stuff," he told Van Hollen. " 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 magazine detailed that Patel’s 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. Patel has sued The Atlantic and the author of its April 2026 story, filing a defamation lawsuit in US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking $250 million in damages.

The Atlantic has said it stands by its reporting and would vigorously defend against the lawsuit.

Van Hollen asked Patel if he would be willing to take a test to determine whether he has a drinking problem. Patel responded that he would take such a test provided the senator would take it alongside him. ” Patel claimed that documents filed by Sen.

A Van Hollen spokesperson stated that the $7,128 payment to the Lobby Bar was a catering charge at a local restaurant where the Senator hosted an after-hours holiday reception as a thank you to the 50+ members of our team, paid for by campaign funds – not taxpayer dollars, on 12 December 2025.

Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic vice-chair of the Senate appropriations committee, expressed her own concerns.

“I am deeply concerned about the reports that your leadership has not been serious,” Murray said. “Your job is to be reachable … if you want to pass out liquor or pop bottles in a locker room, stick to podcasting. ” Earlier in 2026, a ProPublica reporter shared a video of Kash Patel chugging a bottle and spraying beer in a locker room with the men’s USA hockey team in Milan following their gold medal victory against Canada at the Winter Olympics.

Sen. Chris Coons asked Kash Patel, “You attended the Olympics in Milan. ” Patel denied personally ordering polygraph tests to determine leaks to the press. The FBI said last year that it had begun the process of using polygraph tests to aid investigations aimed at identifying the source of leaks emanating from within the law enforcement agency.

Patel said that no FBI resources have been used to investigate the negative press about him or his handling of the agency.