FBI Director Kash Patel could be the next senior official to leave the Trump administration, according to a White House source cited in a new report by the Politico. The document points to growing internal frustration inside the federal agency.Politico’s Dash Burns reported that pressure is building around Patel’s position, with one unnamed official suggesting his time in office may be limited. Burns wrote on X: “A top White House official tells me that Kash Patel is likely the next Cabinet-level official to go. ‘It’s only a matter of time,’ the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, told me.”The same source said concerns within the administration include the negative coverage surrounding Patel, which they described as damaging for a senior official’s image.Burns added: “There are several reasons, the official said, but top among them is the number of negative stories centered on Patel is ‘not a good look for a Cabinet secretary,’ and Trump is fed up with the level of distraction.”The White House has not publicly confirmed any move involving Patel.The report comes at a time when Patel is already facing legal and media scrutiny. He has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic following a story by journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick. The article alleged that Patel used to consume alcohol excessively and discomfort his colleagues in the office, and that he often missed important meetings. In one case, Patel struggled to access his FBI computer system and mistakenly believed he had been fired by President Donald Trump.The Atlantic has rejected the claims, stating: “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”Separate reporting by The Intercept has also drawn attention to Patel’s past, referring to a 2005 disclosure letter submitted to the Florida Bar. The filing mentioned two earlier arrests, one for public intoxication when he was an underage college student, and another for public urination while he was studying law in New York.In the letter, Patel said the college incident happened after he was removed from a basketball game and later arrested by police. The second incident took place during a night out with friends and ended with what he called “a gross deviation from appropriate conduct,” which resulted in a fine for public urination.He said: “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. In a gross deviation from appropriate conduct, we attempted to relieve our bladders while walking home.”The resurfacing of these disclosures has come alongside renewed scrutiny of Patel’s conduct in office. Earlier this year, he was filmed drinking beer with the US men’s Olympic hockey team in Milan after their gold medal win, an incident he defended as an expression of national pride.
