Judiciary Democrats Launch Investigation into Reports of FBI Director Kash Patel’s Alcohol Abuse, Demand He Submit to Alcohol Abuse Screening

Washington, D.C. (April 22, 2026)—Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, led Judiciary Democrats in launching an investigation into allegations that Kash Patel has engaged in a pattern of alcohol abuse that raises serious national security concerns. Lawmakers are demanding that Director Patel provide information to the Committee, including the results of a standardized Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)—a 10-question screening tool considered the “gold standard” in the U.S. and around the world for assessing harmful patterns of alcohol consumption and routinely used by individuals to help identify unhealthy and hazardous drinking behaviors.

“For the sake of our own security, we need to know, for example, ‘how many drinks containing alcohol do you have on a typical day when you are drinking,’ ‘how often during the last year have you failed to do what was normally expected from you because of drinking,’ ‘how often during the last year have you needed a first drink in the morning to get yourself going after a heavy drinking session,’ and ‘how often during the last year have you been unable to remember what happened the night before because you had been drinking?’” wrote the Members.

In a parallel letter to Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Judiciary Democrats called for bipartisan cooperation and warned that failure to act could leave critical national security vulnerabilities unaddressed. Members urged Chairman Jordan to make clear that if Director Patel fails to comply with the Committee’s requests, he will be required to testify under oath.

“Given the severity of the national security risks associated with these, we request that you make clear to Director Patel that if he fails to provide the requested information by next week’s deadline, the Committee will be requiring him to appear at a hearing in person and under oath to address Members’ well-founded concerns,” wrote the Members to Chairman Jordan.

Last week, an explosive report from The Atlantic revealed the extent of Director Patel’s alcohol abuse and detailed alarming “episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.” Numerous firsthand accounts exposed routine alcohol consumption that has led to physical incapacitation, profanity-laced outbursts, and dereliction of duty.

Director Patel’s alleged drunken impairment violates federal law and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Ethics Handbook, which prohibits all Department employees from “habitually us[ing] intoxicating beverages to excess.” His impulsive habits have had demonstrably disastrous effects on his performance as FBI Director and undermined the FBI’s ability to conduct and advance high-stakes investigations, including the manhunt for the mass shooter at Brown University and the search for the assassin of Charlie Kirk last year.

The Atlantic report corroborates a notorious viral video of Director Patel chugging beers in the Team USA locker room at the Olympics in Italy earlier this year, during a taxpayer-funded trip. 

Judiciary Democrats are demanding that Director Patel submit: (1) a completed AUDIT questionnaire; (2) a sworn statement attesting to the accuracy of his responses; (3) all security clearance questionnaires; and (4) relevant communications regarding these requests.

Click here to read the letter to FBI Director Patel.

Click here to read the letter to Chairman Jordan.