By now, it is obvious that a lot of people within the FBI have it out for Kash Patel, and that they have found willing collaborators in the media to take them down.
Neither fact is surprising. Patel is shaking up the FBI, firing malefactors, including those who illegally surveilled the president, his associates, and even the current FBI Director himself. James Comey has admittedly broken the law by leaking classified information, and agents even lied to the courts in order to pursue fake investigations.
There is a lot of corruption at the FBI, and Patel is cleaning it out. Of course they have it out for them, and they have the contacts in the media to do real damage, as they have against Trump, Carter Page, and Michael Flynn, among others.
"After my 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,…
— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) May 6, 2026
How many friends of Comey, or Peter Strzok, or any of a number of liars and lawbreakers are still at the FBI? Countless, I am certain. And as members of the so-called "intelligence Community," they know how to stab people in the back.
The Atlantic appears to be the favored publication for promoting slanders, and they have a whopper of a new story that will blow the lid off of Kash Patel!
I read this scurrilous example of yellow journalism so you don't have to.
— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) May 6, 2026
KEY POINT:
Buried deep in this insane hit piece is the fact that Kash Patel pays for these customized bottles of bourbon himself.
So the FBI Director pays for some high quality bourbon and has the… https://t.co/2SqzIva9Kj
I read this scurrilous example of yellow journalism so you don't have to.
KEY POINT:
Buried deep in this insane hit piece is the fact that Kash Patel pays for these customized bottles of bourbon himself.
So the FBI Director pays for some high quality bourbon and has the bottles customized, all at his own expense, and gives them away to high performers as an awesomely cool gift.
How great is that? I wish I had one.
Only a Democrat could try and invent a "scandal" here--their TDS is just that bad.
(Also, note all the anonymous sourcing and remember CP's Rule #1 for Media Consumption:
"Never, ever, EVER trust any article that relies solely on anonymous sources.")
It turns out that Patel gives gifts to people. Bottles of bourbon—quite nice bourbon, to be sure—to people, including FBI agents who have done good work.
These bottles are not purchased by the FBI. Other directors have in fact given tokens of appreciation to people at the expense of the FBI, although I presume they were de minimus, or equivalent to the sorts of things that officials give out.
Frankly, I'd rather have a bottle of bourbon than a pen with the FBI logo.
The Atlantic's story is breathless, complete with holier-than-thou quotes from anonymous sources about how unethical it is to do this. It's not that there are gifts, it seems, but that it is bourbon for some reason.
Several current and former FBI employees, including multiple senior leaders, told me that the director regularly handing out his own personally branded bourbon, including to civilians outside the bureau, was unheard-of. Current and former agents also told me they were concerned by Patel’s gifts of personalized bourbon. The FBI has traditionally had a zero-tolerance approach to unauthorized use of alcohol on the job and for its misuse while off duty. But that standard is bending under Patel’s leadership, one former agent told me. “It is so weird and uncomfortable,” this person said. Another former agent described the bottles as “demoralizing,” because they suggest one set of standards for the director and another for the rest of the bureau. This person said he believes that many agents would worry that if the director offers you a bottle, and “you aren’t on board on receiving it enthusiastically, you are getting polygraphed for loyalty.” The fear of retribution has deterred some staff from reporting their concerns to supervisors or through channels reserved for whistleblowers.
Huh? Wut? It's demoralizing to get a bottle of bourbon. Is it even a sort of threat?
Poppycock. People who were not demoralized by the agency being abused under Comey, being revealed to have lawyers who lied under oath, who searched through the president's wife's underwear after lower-level agents said there was no probable cause, but the Director giving gifts he paid for out of his wallet is demoralizing?
I don't think Kash is the problem here.
Siuzdak and the other attorneys said their clients find themselves in a difficult situation. FBI agents “have a duty to disclose wrongdoing,” Siuzdak said. But if you make allegations against Patel, “you’re screwed.” Siuzdak said agents are particularly troubled about reputational damage from proximity to conduct that is not clearly within FBI rules and norms, which could be used to challenge their professional credibility. “Street agents know that integrity is the most important thing for their jobs,” he said. “Without integrity, you can’t testify.”
What, exactly, is the allegation to be made? That he gives out bottles of bourbon? That is no secret. He has given them to FBI agents. The FBI ethics people know and have approved it. So what is the basis for fears of retaliation?
Total crap. But it sounds bad, which is the point.
The article makes a big deal of the fact that Patel takes these bottles on trips to give to people, which again is bizarre. So what? Of course he does. It is part of his baggage. They are gifts he is giving to people. It is absurd that he wouldn't.
But again, they made it sound like he was taking flights specifically to deliver the bottles.
Patel has distributed his self-branded bottles while on official business, including during at least one FBI event. He and his team have transported the whiskey using a DOJ plane, including when he went to Milan during the Olympics in February. One of the bottles was left behind in a locker room, according to a person who was there. (I reviewed a photograph of the bottle.) On the same trip, Patel was filmed drinking beer with the gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team—behavior that officials have said did not sit well with the teetotaling president. Patel defended himself at the time, saying he was just celebrating with his “friends” on the hockey team. Patel’s use of DOJ aircraft to transport cases of alcohol has been the subject of discussion among FBI staff.
Gasp! He "transported the bottles on a DOJ plane when he was traveling! He drank a beer!
What crap. I fail to be scandalized. So should you.
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