Politico reporter Dasha Burns reports that an anonymous senior White House official believes Kash Patel is likely to be removed from his Cabinet-level post, saying "it's only a matter of time." The official cited mounting negative coverage and distractions as the primary reasons. Patel has sued The Atlantic for $250 million over reporting that alleged excessive drinking and absences; The Atlantic says it will vigorously defend its reporting. Newly surfaced disclosures also reveal two alcohol-related arrests from Patel's college and law school years.
Politico: Kash Patel 'Likely' To Be Removed From Cabinet-Level Post Amid Mounting Negative Coverage
Politico reporter Dasha Burns wrote on X Saturday that a senior White House official believes Kash Patel is "likely the next Cabinet-level official to go." The anonymous official told Burns, "It's only a matter of time," citing a growing stream of negative stories that President Trump finds distracting.
Burns said the speculation in Washington intensified after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed Navy Secretary John Phelan this week, an example officials point to when discussing possible personnel changes at the Cabinet level.
Patel recently filed a $250 million lawsuit against The Atlantic in response to a staff feature by Sarah Fitzpatrick. The article reported that colleagues were alarmed by episodes of alleged excessive drinking and unexplained absences, and described an incident in which Patel panicked when he could not access his FBI computer account and feared he had been fired.
The Atlantic responded to the suit, saying: "We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit."
Public attention to Patel's conduct has included a February video showing him enthusiastically chugging a beer with members of the U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team after their gold-medal win in Milan, which Patel characterized as an expression of pride in the team.
On Friday, The Intercept published a report showing that Patel disclosed two alcohol-related arrests in a 2005 letter submitted with his Florida Bar application. According to that disclosure, one arrest occurred while he was an underage college student and resulted in a citation for public intoxication after he was escorted out of a basketball game.
The second incident, recounted in the letter, occurred while Patel was a law student in New York City. He wrote that after visiting local bars, he and others walked home and "in a gross deviation from appropriate conduct" attempted to urinate while walking; Patel said he paid a fine for public urination.
In the bar application letter, Patel described those episodes as "not representative of my usual conduct of behavior." The evolving reporting and legal fight with The Atlantic have heightened scrutiny and prompted White House discussion about whether Patel's continued presence at the Cabinet level presents an unnecessary distraction.
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