Kamal Ghorui
Typos and spelling mistakes have been spotted in a high-profile defamation lawsuit filed by FBI Director Kash Patel, even as the case accuses a major publication of poor journalistic standards, including alleging that Patel drinks too much and misses important meetings.The 19-page complaint, filed this week in federal court in Washington, DC, targets The Atlantic and one of its reporters, alleging they knowingly published false and defamatory claims about Patel. He is seeking at least $250 million in damages and argues the magazine acted with “actual malice”.However, a review of the filing reveals several basic spelling and editing errors. Among them are “feable” instead of “feeble”, “politices” instead of “policies”, and “dicussed” instead of “discussed”. These mistakes do not affect the substance of the case, but they stand out in a lawsuit that repeatedly stresses accuracy.Court documents are usually checked by multiple lawyers before submission, particularly in a case involving the head of the FBI.The lawsuit claims that the magazine relied on anonymous sources to publish false allegations about Patel’s behaviour, alcohol use and job performance. According to the filing, these claims were denied before publication by the FBI, the Justice Department and the White House.The legal action follows a public dispute between Patel’s team and the magazine after a report by journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick alleged that Patel had a drinking problem. The report claimed his condition was known within the Trump administration and that, on some occasions, his security team struggled to wake him when he appeared intoxicated.Fitzpatrick has defended her reporting, saying she stands by it and that it was carefully verified. She said the publication has strong legal backing and noted that officials did not dispute the claims when contacted. “This is telling,” she said, responding to threats of legal action.Patel’s allies have rejected the allegations. Adviser Erica Knight said the story was based on unverified claims. “Journalists have resorted to listening to disgruntled biased claims backed up by their anonymous disgruntled friends to set a narrative. Gossipy fiction might get clicks, but the truth gets results,” she wrote.Another associate, Clint Brown, also dismissed the claims, saying he spent extensive time with Patel and never witnessed excessive drinking. “I’ve never once seen him over drink. Not once. You are spinning that narrative because you know POTUS doesn’t view that favorably, even admitted as much in your story,” he said.Before publication of the article, Patel’s lawyers at Binnall Law Group had warned the magazine against publishing what they described as false claims. “Should you publish these false allegations, Director Patel will take swift action to uphold his reputation,” the firm said in a letter.Patel himself has continued to push back publicly. “Memo to the fake news – the only time I’ll ever actually be concerned about the hit piece lies you write about me will be when you stop. Keep talking, it means I’m doing exactly what I should be doing. And no amount of BS you write will ever deter this FBI from making America safe again and taking down the criminals you love,” he said in a post.He later added on television, “If the fake news mafia isn’t hitting you with baseless info, you’re not doing your job.”
