Long before his days as FBI director, Kash Patel knew what it was like to be on the other side of the law when he was arrested for public urination after a night of drinking, according to a new report.
The FBI chief’s conduct has been under scrutiny after a brutal report by The Atlantic on Patel’s alleged excessive drinking and unexplained absences from the bureau.
Patel, 46, has fiercely denied the allegations and is suing the publication for $250 million, but a dive into his past appears to show this is not the first time the Trump diehard has faced trouble over alcohol.
The FBI director was arrested when he was younger for alcohol-related incidents, The Intercept reported on Friday, including once for public intoxication and once for public urination after leaving a bar.
In a July 2005 letter that was reportedly part of Patel’s personnel file at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and obtained by The Intercept, Patel admitted to both incidents.
The newly uncovered arrest for public urination took place in 2005, just months before he wrote the letter about disclosures as part of his Florida Bar application, said the report.
According to Patel, the incident took place while he was out celebrating with friends in February or March.
“We went to a few of the local bars and consumed some alcoholic beverages. At the end of the night, we decided to walk home,” Patel wrote in the letter.
“In a gross deviation from proper conduct, we attempted to relieve our bladders while walking home,” Patel continued. “Before we could even do so, a police cruiser stopped the group. We were then arrested for public urination.”
In the end, Patel had to pay a fine following the incident.
A previous incident occurred before Patel turned 21, while he was a student at the University of Richmond in 2001.
Patel wrote that he was accused by a school officer of “excessive” cheering at a home basketball game and escorted out. After he was removed from the arena, Patel wrote that he was arrested for public intoxication.
The arrest has been previously reported by NBC News. In the newly revealed letter, Patel claimed he had “consumed two drinks prior to the game.” In that case, he also paid a fine.
“Both of these incidents are not representative of my usual conduct of behavior,” Patel wrote.
In response to The Intercept, a spokesperson for Patel said his “entire background was thoroughly examined and vetted prior to him assuming this role.”
“These attacks are nothing more than an attempt to undermine a process that has already deemed him suitable to serve and a distraction to the record-breaking success of the FBI under Director Patel,” spokesperson Erica Knight said.
Now, more than two decades later, Patel is fighting allegations of excessive drinking and concerns about his leadership at the premier law enforcement bureau.
In The Atlantic article, several officials said Patel’s drinking has been a “recurring source of concern across the government” and that he is “known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication,” including in Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas.
A video of the 46-year-old chugging beer in celebration inside the locker room after the U.S. men’s hockey team won gold at the Winter Olympics in Italy in February has also faced fresh scrutiny in light of the allegation.
Patel insisted publicly this week at a press conference that he’s never been intoxicated on the job when questioned about the accusations by a reporter, but Democrats on Capitol Hill have launched an investigation into his alleged drinking problem.
