Aligning with fiery jargon used by US President Donald Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel continues to lash out at US news agencies, which he now identifies as propagators of “fake news.” Having repeatedly fired back at bombshell allegations raised in The Atlantic’s article titled “The FBI Director Is MIA,” the Trump administration official fiercely stood by his defence on Tuesday (US time) during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, DC.

He and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche joined forces to blast reporters who pressed them to answer questions related to Patel’s alleged behaviour, including his reported excessive drinking habit on the job. As Tuesday marked their first public appearance since journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick published the explosive Atlantic piece, Patel visibly lost all his calm while responding to the press.

The FBI director’s address also came after his legal team formally filed a lawsuit against the multi-publishing news platform and Fitzpatrick, seeking $250 million in damages over defamation claims.

Kash Patel blasts reporters over FBI allegations

“I can say unequivocally that I never listen to the fake news mafia and when they get louder, it just means I’m doing my job,” a defiant Patel assumed a combative stance, as he lashed out at media representatives. The FBI director appeared especially ticked off by questions tied to his escalating feud with The Atlantic, as he and Blanche had come out in public for an unrelated announcement at the Justice Department headquarters.

Blasting the hefty accusations against himself, he added, “I’ve never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit. And any one of you that wants to participate, bring it on.”

Insisting that he’s investing more time in the job than any of his predecessors, he asserted, “I’m on the job. I’m the first one in. I’m the last one out.” Amid reports of him potentially being fired from the top post and lawmakers’ calls for his immediate resignation, Patel particularly made it a point to dispute such suggestions.

At one point, a reporter questioned Patel about whether he had faced a “login issue” during his time as the FBI director. Instantly becoming defensive, the Trump aide flipped the query back to the media representatives sitting in the room. “Let’s have a survey. How many of you people believe that’s true?”

The verbal entanglement between Patel and the NBC News reporter was based on a claim Sarah Fitzpatrick had made in her Atlantic article. Having argued that she relied on dozens of sources to support her story, she wrote therein that when Patel allegedly failed to log in to his FBI computer, he told colleagues he was worried that he had been locked out because Trump fired him.

As the reporter tried to interject, Patel immediately retorted in a sharp voice, “Hang on! You asked a question. Let me answer it. No, no.” The FBI director tried his best to shut the man down entirely as the reporter insistently kept bringing up the same question.

“Don’t cut me off! You asked a question… The problem with you and your baseless reporting is that it’s an absolute lie,” Patel continued. “It was never said, it never happened, and I will serve in this administration as long as the president and attorney general want me to do so.”

“Every time you guys report false lies, every time you guys raise baseless questions when we are here to talk about the Southern Poverty Law Centre’s $3 million, decade-long scheme to fraudulently fleece Americans—you are off-topic,” he continued. Again accusing the reporter of lying, he doubled down, “I was never locked out of my systems. Anybody who says the opposite is lying.”

Todd Blanche backs Kash Patel

As Patel steps off the podium, Todd Blanche takes over and continues the rebuttal by clashing with the reporter. “Look, man, stop. You are being extraordinarily rude, and I know maybe that’s part of your profession. Please, just stop. If you ask a question, he will answer… Now you’re interrupting me.”

The acting attorney general, who took over after Pam Bondi was ousted, also responded to a question about Patel’s alleged excessive drinking habit. Admitting that he had not read the Atlantic story, Blanche lambasted, “My concerns are completely around the anonymous reporting that comes forth constantly.”

“But when you have a bunch of people who are hiding behind closed curtains saying things we’re not willing to say publicly, and there’s certain parts of the article that are blatantly false, because apparently, I was told something that I wasn’t—it’s suspicious.”

Was Kash Patel really locked out of FBI’s system

Contrary to his remarks during the press conference, Patel’s lawsuit acknowledged that the FBI director faced a “routing technical problem” with his computer.

“Director Patel had a routine technical problem logging into a government system, which was quickly fixed,” the formal complaint stated.

“Director Patel’s sole focus is on carrying out the administration’s law enforcement priorities,” it added. “Prior to publication, the FBI expressly informed Defendants that the firing rumor was a ‘made-up rumor,’ and that the ‘freak-out’ and job-jeopardy claims were fabricated.”

Although Patel vigorously slams claims about his alleged inebriation, the FBI director recently also came under fire when he was caught on camera chugging beer with a member of the US Olympic men’s hockey team in a viral social media video.

Despite Patel’s side slamming claims of “erratic behavior and excessive drinking” as “fabricated,” The Atlantic has stood by its reporting on the director. Defending itself against Patel’s challenges, the news provider issued a statement, saying, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”

In the meantime, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Dick Durbin, Rep. Ted Lieu, and Rep. Mike Levin, among others, are speaking out against Patel, calling for his immediate resignation over claims of a “serious drinking problem.”