‘Plenty of guys drink and have fun’: Rich McCormick dismisses reports of Kash Patel's alcoholism

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) brushed aside the latest controversy around FBI Director Kash Patel with a rather casual defense.

Patel is pushing back hard against a report by The Atlantic, which cited “more than two dozen” anonymous “witnesses” and alleged “excessive drinking” and “unexplained absences” by the FBI chief. 

Patel didn’t just deny it but he went on the offensive, filing a $250 million lawsuit on Monday accusing the outlet and its reporter, Sarah Fitzpatrick, of publishing an “obviously fabricated” article “designed to destroy Director Patel’s reputation and drive him from office.”

McCormick defends Patel after excessive drinking allegations 

According to the report, Patel was allegedly seen chugging a beer in the US men’s hockey locker room after an Olympic gold-medal win, which reportedly didn’t sit well with President Donald Trump.

MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manríquez caught up with McCormick on Capitol Hill and asked whether Patel’s drinking posed a “national security concern."

“I don’t know anything about his drinking,” McCormick said. “I’ve not heard any rumors or heard any concerns. I think he’s executing his job brilliantly up to this point, so I don’t see why that would be a controversial thing.”

Pressed further about the report, McCormick argued that what people do off the clock shouldn’t be policed.

“So, I’ll tell you as a [inaudible] Marine, I’ve seen plenty of guys drink and have fun,” he said. “When they are on their spare time, that’s their business. I bet you there are a lot of Americans out there who take offense to that: Does that mean I can’t go party with my friends and then go do my job during the week time? I don’t think that’s really fair. As long as it doesn’t affect his job in a negative way, I’m cool.”

He even reached back into his own past to make the point, recalling his rugby days. “I’ll tell you, when I was with my rugby buddies back in the day, on occasion I’d like to go out and have fun with those guys and let my hair down and be one of the guys,” he said. “I think there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Lawsuits and denials

Patel and the FBI have consistently denied the claims outlined in The Atlantic’s story, which also alleged that his “irregular presence at FBI headquarters and in field offices” has delayed “time-sensitive decisions” requiring the director’s input.

The lawsuit in question lists 17 allegations that Patel’s legal team says are “false and defamatory statements of fact,” including the claim that he “is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication.”

"Each of the foregoing statements and implications is false. They are so demonstrably and obviously false, or easily refuted, that it was at best reckless to publish them," the suit said.

The Atlantic, however, isn’t backing down. 

"We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists from this meritless lawsuit," the publication said in a statement posted on X.

This isn’t the first time Patel has taken the legal route against such allegations.

Last year, he sued Frank Figliuzzi after the commentator suggested Patel was spending more time in nightclubs than at FBI headquarters. That case was filed in a Texas federal court and is still pending.