FBI Director Kash Patel is under fire again after reports surfaced about two previous arrests for public intoxication and public urination, detailed in a previously reported legal filing.According to a report published by The Intercept, Patel acknowledged the events in a 2005 Florida Bar Disclosure Statement submitted during his early legal career. The document has received renewed attention following recent media coverage regarding alleged drinking issues.The first incident occurred in 2001 when Patel was a student at the University of Richmond. This included him being escorted out of a basketball game by campus police. He said that he was drunk at that time.“Upon exiting the arena,” he wrote, “the officer arrested me on a charge of public intoxication, as I was not yet 21 years old.”The second arrest occurred later, while he was attending Pace University Law School. Patel described going out with friends and drinking at a local bar before the incident.He wrote, “We went to some local bars and consumed some alcoholic beverages…In gross deviation from proper conduct, we attempted to relieve our bladders while walking home.” He added, “Before we could do that, a police cruiser stopped the group. Then we were arrested for urinating in public.”Patel said the incidents were out of character and asked them to be seen in the context of his overall conduct.Patel further said, “These two incidents do not represent my normal conduct.”He added, “And I hope the board will view these as an anomaly. I apologize to both the board and the community for my inappropriate behavior.”These incidents date back more than two decades and were disclosed at the same time.The revelations resurface amid a report by The Atlantic which detailed Patel’s alleged drinking habits. The journalist behind the original report has defended his story, saying he has received additional confirmation from high-level sources in the government.The report was written by journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick alleging that Kash Patel had shown signs of heavy drinking and erratic behavior, based on more than two dozen anonymous sources in and around the US government. The story claimed officers observed “obvious drunkenness and unexplained absences” and raised concerns about his availability and performance in sensitive roles, with some sources alleging instances where he was difficult to reach or unresponsive during work periods, even missing important meetings. Patel has denied all the allegations, calling them false and politically motivated, and has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, while the publication has maintained its reporting and said it stood by its story.
