Washington DC - FBI Director Kash Patel recently lashed out after a report claimed he has been excessively drinking and exhibiting paranoid behavior.

On Friday, The Atlantic published a story titled "The FBI Director Is MIA," in which journalist Sara Fitzpatrick details a number of claims made by current and former FBI officials close to Patel.

The sources claimed Patel has been deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy since President Donald Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 2.

In one instance, Patel reportedly had a "freakout" after he struggled to log in to a government computer system, which he attributed to his being fired, which one source said was "ultimately bulls**t."

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Sources also expressed issues with Patel's personal behavior, including claims that he regularly drinks alcohol to excess, which violates the Department of Justice ethics rules.

On multiple occasions, Patel's security detail reportedly had issues waking him up as he appeared to be intoxicated. Some sources even suggested alcohol may have played a role in instances in which he shared inaccurate information about active investigations, such as the assassination of far-right political commentator Charlie Kirk.

Rumors of Patel's drinking reportedly reached the president, as two sources claimed Trump privately scolded Patel after a video of him drinking with the US men's hockey team following their Olympic victory went viral.

Fitzpatrick noted in her article that when reached for comment, the FBI told her, "Print it, all false, I'll see you in court – bring your checkbook."

Patel solidified the FBI's threat of legal action in an X post shared on Friday night, in which he vowed to soon see Fitzpatrick and her "entire entourage of false reporting" in court.

"But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up," Patel added.

In an interview with MS Now, Fitzpatrick said she is a "very careful, very diligent" investigative reporter, insisted that The Atlantic has a very good legal team, and pointed out that the FBI nor the White House ever disputed the claims.