Kash Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine and journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick, after she reported that Patel has alarmed FBI colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking, erratic behavior and unexplained absences. The report cited more than two dozen people, including current and former FBI officials, members of Congress, lobbyists, former advisers and others. Several officials said morning meetings at the FBI were rescheduled until the afternoon because Patel was incapacitated following nights of heavy drinking. Patel’s security detail reportedly struggled to wake him on multiple occasions last year, and in at least one instance requested “breaching equipment” normally used by SWAT teams to enter buildings.