3 min readNew DelhiApr 26, 2026 10:44 AM IST
FBI Director Kash Patel is likely the next top-level official to be fired from the Trump administration, a recent report claimed amid a series of controversies.
The report surfaced hours before a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ dinner in Washington. “It’s only a matter of time,” the White House official said about the FBI director, as quoted by POLITICO.
Known for authoring a book on the US ‘deep state’ and spearheading MAGA’s anti-corruption rhetoric during Trump’s election campaign in 2024, the Indian-origin FBI chief has been mired in controversies related to his drinking problem 14 months into his tenure.
The Intercept reported that Patel admitted to having been arrested for public drinking on two occasions: once as a minor during his undergraduate days in Virginia, and once for public urination while out drinking in New York City when he was a law student.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are demanding that Patel undergo a screening test used to assess “harmful patterns of alcohol consumption” following allegations published in The Atlantic. Amid scrutiny, Patel has maintained that he has “never been intoxicated on the job.”
In March, an Iran-linked hacker group claimed to have breached Patel’s personal email, publishing his photographs and purported resume. A Justice Department official confirmed the breach and said the published material appeared authentic.
Earlier this month, Trump fired Pam Bondi, whom Kash referred to as a mentor, after her 14-month tenure as US Attorney General. Trump was reportedly frustrated over the lack of progress in prosecuting political opponents and her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files as head of the Department of Justice.
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The Atlantic reported that Patel was among the officials expected to be fired after Bondi’s ouster on April 2. The future seems uncertain for the two MAGA figures who have allegedly fallen out of Trump’s favour.
However, when asked by reporters about Patel’s standing with the US President on Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump “does still have confidence in the FBI director.” Patel also filed a $250 million lawsuit last week against The Atlantic after it reported that he “is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication.”
Kash and Bondi have been involved in several controversies. In March, a group of FBI agents sued them, the FBI, and the Justice Department after they were terminated for investigating Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
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