On Friday, April 10, FBI Director Kash Patel struggled to log into an internal computer system as he was finishing up his work for the week. He quickly became convinced that he had been locked out and fired by the White House. According to nine people familiar with the situation, he spent that evening frantically calling aides and allies to tell them he had been terminated. Two of those people described it as a total freak-out.
According to The Atlantic, the whole thing turned out to be a simple technical error that was fixed shortly after. As one FBI official put it, it was “all ultimately bullshit.” The incident created widespread confusion inside the bureau, which employs around 38,000 people, with the White House receiving calls from Congress and staff asking who was actually in charge. Despite all the chaos, Patel kept his job.
Patel has been a divisive figure since he took over the FBI in early 2025. He earned White House support for going after people seen as political enemies of the administration, but his time as director has been marked by management problems and personal behavior that many officials find deeply troubling.
Patel’s drinking problems have put FBI readiness at serious risk
Multiple current and former FBI officials have pointed to repeated incidents of excessive drinking as a serious concern, including at public venues like the private club Ned’s in Washington, D.C., and the Poodle Room in Las Vegas.
Early in his tenure, meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled regularly because of his late nights. More seriously, members of his security detail have reportedly struggled to wake him on several occasions due to apparent intoxication.
In one instance, a request was made for breaching equipment, the kind typically used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams, because Patel was unreachable behind locked doors. These episodes have left many officials deeply worried about the agency’s ability to respond to threats. One official said the fear of a domestic terrorist attack happening while Patel is unreachable is what keeps them up at night.
Field offices have also seen a spike in turnover, as agents leave voluntarily or are pushed out by the director. His agents have also raised alarms over his other controversial moves, such as pushing to expose an old FBI file on Trump critic Eric Swalwell.
In February, Patel was filmed chugging beer with the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team in Italy after their gold-medal win. According to HuffPost, he later defended the trip on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, saying he was there to lead security for Americans at the Milan Olympics.
However, the footage drew significant backlash, especially since Patel had previously criticized his predecessor, Christopher Wray, for using government planes for personal travel. FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson defended the trip on X, saying that Patel “was on a mission planned months in advance that included meetings with Italian law enforcement and security officials.”
Despite all of this, Patel still has the support of President Trump, who has been satisfied with his efforts to remove agents who worked on investigations into his activities. His leadership decisions have drawn further scrutiny after he killed an investigation into a woman murdered by an ICE agent, a move so legally questionable that it caused prosecutors to resign in protest.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that Patel “remains a critical player on the administration’s law and order team.” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche also backed him, claiming that Patel “has accomplished more in 14 months than the previous administration did in four years.”
Patel himself has pushed back against the criticism. When challenged, he told his critics to “print it,” saying the reports were false and that he would “see them in court.” He has shown no signs of stepping down or changing course despite the steady stream of negative reports about his conduct.
The FBI is still in a state of uncertainty. While some in the White House continue to support Patel, senior administration members are reportedly already talking about possible replacements. For the agents and staff working on the ground, many say they feel besieged and disillusioned. No matter what happens with Patel, the general view among those who work with him is that the institution is struggling to function properly under his leadership.
Published: Apr 18, 2026 02:30 am