FBI Director Kash Patel is suing magazine The Atlantic for $US250 million (A$348 million) over reports of his alleged drunkenness.
The article published last week referenced instances of Patel’s excessive alcohol consumption impacting his job.
But in a lawsuit filed today against the magazine and journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick, Patel described the article as a “sweeping, malicious and defamatory hit piece”.
“Fitzpatrick could not get a single person to go on the record in defence of these outrageous allegations, instead relying entirely on anonymous sources she knew to be both highly partisan with an axe to grind and also not in a position to know the facts,” the lawsuit read.
“Defendants published the Article with actual malice, despite being expressly warned, hours before publication, that the central allegations were categorically false.”
The Atlantic reported that unnamed officials in the Trump administration were concerned alcohol was behind Patel sharing false information about investigations, including the alleged murder of Charlie Kirk.
Patel had falsely claimed in the hours after Kirk’s death that the suspect was in custody.
He had also announced a “person of interest” was in custody after a shooting at Brown University. That person was quickly released when it was determined they were innocent.
The Atlantic also reported Patel’s security detail had difficulty waking him “because he was seemingly intoxicated” on multiple occasions.
When he was asked for comment by The Atlantic, he responded: “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court—bring your chequebook”.
His lawsuit also detailed “historic law enforcement achievements” of the FBI during his tenure as director.
Patel was also criticised after footage emerged of him skolling a beer in the locker room with the gold-medal winning USA ice hockey team at the Olympics in February.
The footage also shows him spraying the beer around the room as he celebrated with the team.
Questions were asked about why Patel was at the Olympics on what was officially a work trip.
President Donald Trump, who appointed Patel to the position, was reportedly upset with the footage.
Trump himself does not drink.
The president has been prolific in suing major media outlets in his second term for publishing unflattering articles about him.
He sued the Wall Street Journal for $14 billion over their reporting of his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The lawsuit was dismissed last week.
The newspaper reported that Trump wrote a letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
The letter was framed by a sketch of what appeared to be a naked woman with Trump’s signature in place of pubic hair.
The letter was written in the form of a dialogue between “Donald” and “Jeffrey”.
“Enigmas never age, have you noticed that?” Donald says in the script.
“A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday – and may every day be another wonderful secret.”
The birthday book had been compiled by Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and featured contributions from other powerful friends of the paedophile.
Trump had denied to the Wall Street Journal that he had written the letter, and insisted that it never existed.
A $22 billion lawsuit against the New York Times was tossed by a different Florida judge in September last year.
Lawsuits against ABC News and the CBS show 60 Minutes were both settled out of court.