MAGA lawmaker dismisses Kash Patel scandal: ‘I’ve seen a lot guys drink and have fun’

NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsMAGA lawmaker dismisses Kash Patel scandal: ‘I’ve seen a lot guys drink and have fun’Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick defends FBI director over accusations of excessive drinking: ‘As long as it doesn’t affect his job in a negative way, I’m cool’Joe Sommerlad Tuesday 21 April 2026 09:41 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":"b2961614","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kash-patel-scandal-atlantic-drinking-b2961614.html","title":"MAGA lawmaker dismisses Kash Patel scandal: ‘I’ve seen a lot guys drink and have fun’"}}CloseKash Patel lashes out at The Atlantic over ‘hit piece’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":"receiveInsideWashingtonNews","regSourceSection":"US politics","reg...