House judiciary Democrats have launched a formal inquiry into the alleged drinking habits of the FBI director, Kash Patel, demanding he complete a standardized alcohol abuse assessment and submit the results to Congress.
In a letter sent on Tuesday, led by Jamie Raskin, a Maryland representative, Democrats on the committee called on Patel to take the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Audit) – a 10-question World Health Organization screening tool used to identify harmful patterns of drinking – along with a sworn statement attesting to his answers. Lawmakers also requested all security clearance questionnaires Patel has completed since taking the role.
The letter cited a pattern of alleged conduct that Democrats argued had directly compromised national security, claiming Patel’s alleged unavailability had led to delays in terror-related decisions – including the issuance of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) warrants – and that his behavior had undermined two high-profile criminal investigations: the manhunt following a mass shooting at Brown University and the search for the assassin of Charlie Kirk. In both cases, the letter alleged, Patel had publicly broadcast inaccurate information.
“These glimpses of your relationship to alcohol would be alarming to see in an FBI agent; for us to see them in the FBI Director himself is shocking and indicative of a public emergency,” the letter stated.
The embattled FBI director has also faced criticism for traveling to Milan to watch the US men’s hockey team win gold in the Winter Olympics, chugging a beer in celebration with the players in the locker room after they won.
The Audit’s 10 questions span basic consumption frequency through to dependency warning signs, and includes whether the subject has needed a morning drink to recover, experienced memory blackouts, or been advised by a doctor or loved one to cut down. Scored on a scale of 0 to 40, a result of eight or higher indicates hazardous or harmful use.
The pressure on Patel extends to the Senate. Dick Durbin, a Democrat and the minority whip, took to the Senate floor to call for Patel’s removal, arguing he had “weaponized the world’s pre-eminent investigative agency to serve the interests of one person – President Trump”.
The push follows a recent investigation by the Atlantic, which reported that Patel’s alcohol consumption had become “a recurring source of concern across the government”, citing interviews with more than two dozen people, including current and former FBI officials. Among the most serious allegations: that his security detail on at least one occasion struggled to rouse him because he appeared intoxicated, and that agents had sought “SWAT-level breaching equipment” to gain access to a room where he was unresponsive behind a locked door.
Patel has forcefully denied the allegations, and on Monday he filed a $250m defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic. At a press conference on Tuesday, he told reporters: “I’ve never been intoxicated on the job. Any one of you that wants to participate, bring it on – I’ll see you in court.
“I’m the first one in, I’m the last one out,” Patel added. “I’m like an everyday American who loves his country, loves the sport of hockey, and champions my friends when they raise a gold medal and invite me to celebrate.”
Democrats simultaneously wrote to the House judiciary committee chairman, Jim Jordan, urging the Ohio Republican to compel Patel’s appearance at a formal hearing under oath if he fails to comply with their demands by next week.
“The American people deserve to hear the facts directly from you now – not your lawyers weeks or months from now – to determine for ourselves whether your continued leadership of the FBI in fact constitutes a severe national security vulnerability,” Democrats wrote in their letter to Patel.