Trump issues humiliating five-word takedown of Kash Patel after FBI Director's booze-fueled scandal

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 16:52, 12 May 2026 | Updated: 16:58, 12 May 2026 Donald Trump took a brutal swipe at Kash Patel over the FBI director's love of 'publicity' following a string of high-profile scandals. The President addressed guests and top advisers in the White House Rose Garden on Monday evening, where he gave Patel a special shoutout laced with a subtle jab. 'FBI Director Kash Patel. Does he get enough publicity? If you could get a little more publicity it would be very...' Trump said before cutting his comment short with a giggle.  The dig comes as Patel battles a tidal wave of unflattering headlines centered on his drinking habits, kicked off by an April Atlantic exposé alleging 'excessive drinking and unexplained absences.'  Patel's late night partying and drinking reportedly forced aides scrambling to push back morning meetings. The same report also claimed Patel's security detail once requested 'breaching equipment' after they couldn't rouse the FBI director from behind a locked door.  Patel has denied all the allegations and filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the Atlantic.  Adding to his growing slew of bad headlines, a viral February clip showed Patel chugging a beer with the US men's Olympic hockey team in Milan, behavior that NBC News reported left Trump personally displeased with the locker-room antics. The President addressed guests and top advisers in the White House Rose Garden on Monday evening, where he gave Patel a special shoutout laced with a subtle jab The dig comes as Patel battles a tidal wave of unflattering headlines centered on his drinking habits, kicked off by an April Atlantic exposé alleging 'excessive drinking' A viral February clip showed Patel chugging a beer with the US men's Olympic hockey team in Milan, behavior that left Trump personally displeased The President told Patel he was unhappy with his use of a government jet for the trip to Milan, according to NBC News.  The White House denied the report and said 'The President has full confidence in his administration.'  Patel defended himself at the time by saying his trip to Italy was official business, not only for the Olympics but also to attend a summit with the country's top law enforcement officials on event security. Recently, The Atlantic reported that Patel travels with personalized bourbon bottles engraved with 'Kash Patel FBI Director,' stylized with his preferred spelling, 'Ka$h.' The branded liquor revelation prompted Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee to mock the FBI chief on social media.  'The Kash Patel bourbon: strong notes of insecurity, narcissism, incompetence and alcohol-fueled national security risk,' the liberal lawmakers wrote. 'Pairs well with taxpayer-funded getaways and the occasional SWAT-assisted wake-up call.' The committee's top Democrat Senator Dick Durbin has also demanded the DOJ inspector general investigate Patel’s 'misuse or mismanagement of government resources.' The optics of Patel's reported drinking habits are especially fraught given Trump is a lifelong teetotaler who lost his older brother Fred Jr. to alcoholism. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.