The Case of Kash Patel, ‘The Atlantic’ and Booze; the EEOC Goes After ‘The New York Times’ for Alleged Discrimination Against a White Guy–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: May 7, 2026

Indy Digest: May 7, 2026

On April 17, The Atlantic published an extensively reported, detailed piece about Kash Patel’s leadership (or lack thereof) of the FBI. (Here’s a gift link for the piece.) Here are a few paragraphs by reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick:

Several officials told me that Patel’s drinking has been a recurring source of concern across the government. They said that he is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication, in many cases at the private club Ned’s in Washington, D.C., while in the presence of White House and other administration staff. He is also known to drink to excess at the Poodle Room, in Las Vegas, where he frequently spends parts of his weekends. Early in his tenure, meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled for later in the day as a result of his alcohol-fueled nights, six current and former officials and others familiar with Patel’s schedule told me.

On multiple occasions in the past year, members of his security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated, according to information supplied to Justice Department and White House officials. A request for “breaching equipment”—normally used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings—was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request.

Some of Patel’s colleagues at the FBI worry that his personal behavior has become a threat to public safety. An FBI director is expected to be available and focused on his job—especially when the nation is at war with a state sponsor of terrorism. Current and former officials told me that they have long worried about what would happen in the event of a domestic terrorist attack while Patel is in office, and they said that their apprehension has increased significantly in the weeks since Trump launched his military campaign against Iran. “That’s what keeps me up at night,” one official said.

The story notes that when The Atlantic reached out to the FBI for comment, the FBI responded with a statement, attributed to Patel: “Print it, all false, I’ll see you in court—bring your checkbook.”

Sure enough, Patel filed a defamation lawsuit three days after the story’s publication, seeking $250 million in damages.

(An aside: One of the most enduring images of Patel since he became the FBI director is of him chugging a beer in the locker room after the United States’ win against Canada in the Olympic hockey finals—after traveling to Milan on a government plane. So, yeah.)

Yesterday, MS Now reported that the FBI launched a leak investigation, focused on Fitzpatrick, because of the story:

The sources said the so-called insider threat investigation is highly unusual because it did not stem from a disclosure of classified information and because it is focused on leaks to a reporter. The agents involved are part of an insider threats unit based in Huntsville, Alabama, the sources added.

Typically, leak investigations look into government officials who may have disclosed state secrets or classified documents. Journalists who receive and publish such information have typically only been involved as potential witnesses. …

An investigation could be used by FBI agents to obtain her phone records, run her name and information through FBI databases and examine her social media contacts. It was not known what investigative steps agents have taken in the case.

There is deep concern about this approach among some of the FBI agents assigned to the matter, said the sources, who were granted anonymity in order to speak freely about a sensitive matter.

“They know they are not supposed to do this,” one source said. “But if they don’t go forward, they could lose their jobs.  You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson denied the investigation to MS NOW, saying, “This is completely false. No such investigation like this exists and the reporter you mention is not being investigated at all.”

Today, MS Now published an update, of sorts, with this lede: “FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the polygraphing of more than two dozen former and current members of his security detail, as well as other staff, and has been described as being in panic mode to save his job and find leakers among his team, according to two people briefed on the development.”

How have The Atlantic and Fitzpatrick responded to all of this? Well, yesterday, they published a piece headlined “Kash Patel’s Personalized Bourbon Stash.” (Here is a gift link.) Fitzgerald writes:

After my (April 17) story appeared, I heard from people in Patel’s orbit and people he has met at public functions, who told me that it is not unusual for him to travel with a supply of personalized branded bourbon. The bottles bear the imprint of the Kentucky distillery Woodford Reserve, and are engraved with the words “Kash Patel FBI Director,” as well as a rendering of an FBI shield. Surrounding the shield is a band of text featuring Patel’s director title and his favored spelling of his first name: Ka$h. An eagle holds the shield in its talons, along with the number 9, presumably a reference to Patel’s place in the history of FBI directors. In some cases, the 750-milliliter bottles bear Patel’s signature, with “#9” there as well. One such bottle popped up on an online auction site shortly after my story appeared, and The Atlantic later purchased it. (The person who sold it to us did not want to be named, but said that the bottle was a gift from Patel at an event in Las Vegas.)

Patel has given out bottles of his personalized whiskey to FBI staff as well as civilians he encounters in his duties, according to eight people, including current and former FBI and Department of Justice employees and others who are familiar with Patel’s distribution of the bottles. Most of them spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.

Applause, please, for The Atlantic, for not backing down. Oh, and one more thing: Folks, Sarah Fitzpatrick is a bad-ass.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• The New York Times reports that the Food and Drug Administration has blocked the publication of studies confirming that COVID-19 and shingles vaccines are safe: “The studies, which cost millions of dollars in public funds, were conducted by scientists at the agency, who worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records. They found serious side effects to be very rare. In October, the scientists were directed to withdraw two COVID-19 vaccine studies that had been accepted for publication in medical journals. In February, top F.D.A. officials did not sign off on submitting abstracts about studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a major drug safety conference. The withdrawal of the studies is the latest step by the administration to try to limit access to vaccines. It has sharply cut research funding for vaccine development, released unvetted information casting doubt on vaccines, and blocked other information supporting their safety, most recently a paper on COVID vaccine effectiveness by career scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asked about the withdrawal of the COVID vaccine safety studies, Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in an email: ‘The studies were withdrawn because the authors drew broad conclusions that were not supported by the underlying data. The F.D.A. acted to protect the integrity of its scientific process and ensure that any work associated with the agency meets its high standards.’”

• Speaking of The New York Times … the publication is being sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly discriminating against … a white guy. Here’s a gift link to the Times’ story regarding the suit. The lede: “The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against The New York Times on Tuesday, claiming that the paper had engaged in ‘unlawful employment practices’ and had discriminated against a white male employee who did not get a sought-after promotion. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, says The Times’ ‘stated race and sex-based representation goals influenced the decision not to advance’ the man’s candidacy for a deputy real estate editor role in 2025. … The lawsuit followed a rapid escalation of an investigation that began last year when an employee filed a complaint with the EEOC in New York. The lawsuit indicates that the employee, who is not named, had worked at the paper as an editor since 2014 and applied for the deputy editor job in 2025. The complaint quotes from Times diversity and inclusion reports in recent years, including a 2021 ‘Call to Action’ that set a goal of increasing the number of Black and Latino employees.“

• ProPublica examines the chaos being wreaked, at times, in the Caribbean due to debris from SpaceX launches: “When SpaceX CEO Elon Musk chose a remote Texas outpost on the Gulf Coast to develop his company’s ambitious Starship, he put the 400-foot rocket on a collision course with the commercial airline industry. Each time SpaceX did a test run of Starship and its booster, dubbed Super Heavy, the megarocket’s flight path would take it soaring over busy Caribbean airspace before it reached the relative safety of the open Atlantic Ocean. The company planned as many as five such launches a year as it perfected the craft, a version of which is supposed to one day land on the moon. The FAA, which also oversees commercial space launches, predicted the impact to the national airspace would be ‘minor or minimal,’ akin to a weather event, the agency’s 2022 approval shows. No airport would need to close and no airplane would be denied access for ‘an extended period of time.’ But the reality has been far different. Last year, three of Starship’s five launches exploded at unexpected points on their flight paths, twice raining flaming debris over congested commercial airways and disrupting flights. And while no aircraft collided with rocket parts, pilots were forced to scramble for safety. A ProPublica investigation, based on agency documents, interviews with pilots and passengers, air traffic control recordings and photos and videos of the events, found that by authorizing SpaceX to test its experimental rocket over busy airspace, the FAA accepted the inherent risk that the rocket might put airplane passengers in danger.”

• Our sheriff’s affiliation with the Oath Keepers came up again during a recent gubernatorial debate—and he expressed pride in that affiliation, and then perhaps backtracked, but maybe not? NBC Los Angeles says: “If Chad Bianco hasn’t let voters know that he is a right-wing candidate, they may know now. The Riverside County sheriff and Trump supporter—although he didn’t win the president’s endorsement—said he’s a proud oath keeper, as in he has sworn an oath multiple times during his law enforcement career. When being pressed about being part of the extremist group Oath Keepers, Bianco invited people to read the group’s mission statement instead of getting ’emotionally spun up.’ But when asked whether he considers himself a member of the Oath Keepers, Bianco said no.” (Bianco previously admitted being a paying member of the organization briefly.)

• Pour one out for Primm, the cluster of casinos and other businesses of Interstate 15 near the California-Nevada border. The Los Angeles Times says: “Primm Valley Casino Resorts, the last full-time casino among a cluster of three off Interstate 15 in Primm, at the California-Nevada border, is permanently closing July 4, a publicist for owner Affinity Gaming confirmed Wednesday. Las Vegas insider publication Las Vegas Locally broke the news Tuesday evening, posting a termination notice sent that day from Primadonna Co. LLC, owned by Affinity, to employees who worked at Primm Valley, informing them that they would be let go. … Primm Valley is the last of three operating casino resorts in Primm, formerly known as State Line. The castle-shaped Whiskey Pete’s opened in 1977, followed by Primm Valley in 1990 and Buffalo Bill’s in 1994. … The termination notice comes nearly a year after Affinity Gaming ended 24/7 operations at Buffalo Bill’s Resort on July 6. The casino opened on days in which its concert venue, the Star of the Desert Arena, hosted special events.”

• Today’s recall news involves … chocolate milk! EatingWell reports: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just announced a recall on approximately 63,396 cartons of milk distributed to four states. This is due to ‘compromised’ package integrity, per the announcement. The recall affects 8-ounce cartons of Horizon Organic Chocolate Organic Lowfat Milk sold in 18-count packages in the following states: Arizona, California, Nevada and Oregon. … The recalled milk has a printed best-by date of August 14 or 15, 2026.”

• And … nuts, as well as a corn mix! CBS News says: “An Illinois food manufacturer is recalling several snack products due to concerns that they may be contaminated with salmonella, according to a recall notice with the Food and Drug Administration. The recall affects nut mixes and a corn mix manufactured by John B. Sanfilippo and Son and sold under the brand names Southern Style Nuts, Fisher, Squirrel Brand and Good & Gather. The Good & Gather product, a Mexican street corn-inspired trail mix, was sold at Target, while the others were sold at various retail stores, online and by QVC, according to the FDA notice. The snack mixes contain dry milk powder previously recalled by another food company, California Dairies. The FDA said the seasoning tested negative for salmonella before it was used for the products and that John B. Sanfilippo and Son initiated the recall as a ‘precautionary measure.’”

• And finally … our country is divided, folks—and a new YouGov poll shows just how deep that divide goes. YouGov says: “This week, at a White House event about physical fitness, Donald Trump asked a boy, ‘You think you could take me in a fight?’ We at YouGov thought that was a striking question, and promptly asked 2,609 Americans whether they thought an eight-year-old boy, a typical American, and themselves could win a physical fight with Trump. 66% of U.S. adults say an average American would beat Trump, while 10% say Trump would win. On all three questions, Democrats are far less likely than Republicans to say Trump would win. For example, almost all Democrats say they could win a fight with Trump (75%, while only 5% say Trump would win), but Republicans are slightly more likely to say they’d lose than win (33% vs. 39%). … 82% of Democratic men and 71% of Democratic women say they could beat Trump—an 11-percentage-point gap. But only 46% of Republican men say they could beat Trump.” Amazing.

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