Kash Patel Keeps Suing the Press

In 2019, Kash Patel, then a White House aide, objected to how news outlets portrayed his role in President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. “It’s time that I began fighting back,” Mr. Patel said at the time. He sued Politico, The New York Times and CNN.

In 2023, Mr. Patel, then a roving pro-Trump commentator, took offense to the work of a blogger who had bashed his record and called him a “chud,” a derogatory term progressives use to describe MAGA followers. He sued the blogger, Jim Stewartson, for $10 million in damages.

And in April, Mr. Patel, now the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, seethed over an article in The Atlantic that reported alarm among some colleagues over his “erratic” behavior and alleged heavy drinking. He soon sued the publication, demanding $250 million in damages.

Mr. Patel has yet to reach a settlement or a favorable jury verdict in the cases. Each of the news organizations he has sued has defended its journalism and said it was protected by the First Amendment.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/business/media/kash-patel-defamation-lawsuits.html