FBI Social Media Account Attacks The Atlantic Over Kash Patel Defamation Lawsuit

The FBI's Rapid Response account on X launched a social media attack on The Atlantic after the magazine filed a motion to dismiss Kash Patel's $250 million defamation lawsuit. The Atlantic argued Patel failed to plausibly allege actual malice in its April article, which reported that Patel drank to excess, delayed operations, and was often unreachable, raising national security concerns. The FBI account called The Atlantic a 'slop rag' with 'zero interest in real journalism.' The Atlantic also filed a motion to stay discovery except for Touhy requests, allowing it to seek documents from the FBI and DOJ. Editor Jeffrey Goldberg stated, 'If Director Patel did not want to face this process, he should not have filed this suit.' The article questions the appropriateness of a government agency defending its director in such a manner.