Kash Patel has admitted to alcohol-related crimes, report reveals, as Trump stands by FBI director

NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsKash Patel has admitted to alcohol-related crimes, report reveals, as Trump stands by FBI directorPatel sued The Atlantic for defamation after it reported on alleged ‘excessive drinking’ and the Intercept has since uncovered Patel’s past admissionsAndrew Feinberg in Washington, D.C. Friday 24 April 2026 21:14 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2964650","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kash-patel-arrests-drinking-trump-atlantic-b2964650.html","title":"Patel admits two past arrests for alcohol-related crimes as Trump stands by him"}}CloseKash Patel who is suing over unflattering article says he and Trump are 'as tough as they come'Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_INSIDE_WASHINGTON","regTitle":"Inside Washington","subscriptionGroup":"inside_washington","subscriptionGroupId":"af764e04-87eb-45e6-a84b-a7455ba70a1e","type":"inside_washington","pathPrefix":"/news/world/americas/us-politics","associatedAuthors":["Eric Garcia","John Bowden"],"title":"Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox","mobileTitle":"Get our free Inside Washington email","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/insideWashington1_1.png","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email","newsletterKey":"receive...