BOMBSHELL: FBI Director Reportedly Drinking, Missing Work, Sometimes Unreachable

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Bulwark Takes

Episode: BOMBSHELL: FBI Director Reportedly Drinking, Missing Work, Sometimes Unreachable
Host: Tim Miller (The Bulwark)
Date: April 18, 2026
Main Source Discussed: Reporting by Sarah Fitzpatrick (The Atlantic)

---

Episode Overview

This episode centers on explosive new reporting from The Atlantic about Kash Patel, the sitting FBI Director. Host Tim Miller provides an energetic, bemused, and sharply critical annotated reading of Sarah Fitzpatrick's article, which alleges Patel's habitual excessive drinking, frequent absences, episodes of paranoia, and times when he is totally unreachable—even in potential emergencies. The discussion blends incredulity, sharp political commentary, and Miller’s signature irreverent tone.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reporting Context & Credibility

• The Source: Sarah Fitzpatrick at The Atlantic is credited for breaking the story. Miller emphasizes the robustness of the reporting:
  "Nine people confirmed the story, by the way. Nine people confirmed the story." (03:05)
• Miller notes that, although the White House has denied the allegations and threatened to sue, he places more trust in the multiple sources from The Atlantic than “the liars in this administration.”

2. The Lockout Panic Incident

• Paranoia and Overreaction:
  On April 10th, Director Patel couldn't log into a computer and immediately assumed he'd been fired, frantically calling aides and allies.
  "Bro has no chill, you know, no chill." (02:13)
  "If you had somebody in your office...and rather than going to IT...they started panicking, calling people, saying, like, I've been fired. They fired me... And then like five minutes later, you realize that they just hadn't done the ampersand..." (04:25)

3. Allegations of Repeated Excessive Drinking and Negligence

• Widespread Concern:
  Multiple current and former officials describe a consistent pattern of excessive drinking, especially at elite clubs:
  "Several officials tell Sarah Fitzpatrick of the Atlantic that Patel's drinking has been a recurring source of concern across the government. They said he's known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication in many cases at the private Club neds in Washington, D.C. he's also known to drink to excess in the Poodle Room..." (05:24)
• Frequent Vegas Visits:
  Miller underscores how out-of-bounds it is for the FBI director to “frequently” spend weekends in Las Vegas at the “Poodle Room” (06:10). "Should the head of the FBI ever be in the Poodle Room in Vegas? ...maybe one time during your tender tenure, you have an excuse...But Cash Patel is frequently spending his weekends at the Poodle Room in Vegas. Our taxpayer dollars are flying him from D.C. to Vegas so he can get hammered." (06:18)

4. Disrupted Work & Unreliability

• Hangover-caused Absences:
  Several meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled due to Patel’s drinking.
  Miller’s comparison:
  "I go out drinking here in New Orleans...I've never once emailed producer Katie's and said, hey, gals, can we tape the pod at one today? Because, you know, I had one too many pops at Tipitina's last night...I'm a fucking podcaster. ...This guy's the director of the FBI." (07:10)
• Being Unreachable—Even Triggering Security Protocols:
  Miller highlights reports of the FBI security detail struggling to wake Patel—at least once requiring breaching equipment to check on him in his locked home.
  "On multiple occasions in the past year, members of a security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated...A request for breaching equipment...was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors..." (08:36)
  "They had to send the SWAT team in because dude was so hungover that he had passed out, was unresponsive to phone calls..." (08:50)
• Implications for National Security:
  Concerns have escalated, especially after President Trump’s military actions abroad:
  "Current and former officials told the Atlantic that they have worried about what happened in the event of a domestic terror attack. While Patel's in the office, they said their apprehension has increased significantly in the weeks since Trump launched his military campaign against Iran. 'That's what keeps me up at night,' one official said." (09:36)

5. Political and Systemic Critique

• Job Incongruity:
  Miller contrasts typical youthful errors with the massive responsibility of leading the FBI:
  "If it happens a couple more than a couple times, you should probably see a therapist or consider aa, but, you know, it happens every once in a while. You're in your 20s. This guy's the director of the FBI. Not responding to calls. Like, it's a job where you need to respond to your phone..." (10:09)
• Urgent Call for Accountability:
  Miller wraps up by urging Congress to investigate immediately:
  "This guy needs to go to Mexico and spend a couple weeks in a detox center...He does not need to be running the FBI. Get Cash Patel out of the FBI immediately. Find the Democrats. I'm writing up my letter right now. Call him in front of Congress. Call his colleagues in front of Congress and get to the bottom of this." (12:11)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Bro has no chill, you know, no chill." (02:13)
• "If you had somebody in your office...they started panicking, calling people, saying, like, I've been fired..." (04:25)
• "I've never once emailed producer Katie's and said, hey, gals, can we tape the pod at one today? Because...I had one too many pops at Tipitina's last night...I'm a fucking podcaster. ...This guy's the director of the FBI." (07:10)
• "They had to send the SWAT team in because dude was so hungover that he had passed out, was unresponsive to phone calls..." (08:50)
• "'That's what keeps me up at night,' one official said." (09:36)
• "Get Cash Patel out of the FBI immediately. Find the Democrats. I'm writing up my letter right now. Call him in front of Congress. Call his colleagues in front of Congress and get to the bottom of this." (12:11)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:25] Introduction to the story; context about The Atlantic’s reporting
• [02:13] The “lockout panic” anecdote; Miller’s first reactions
• [05:24] Discussion of the drinking allegations and specific clubs mentioned
• [06:18] Critique of Patel’s “Poodle Room” weekends in Las Vegas
• [07:10] Miller’s analogy to podcasting v. running the FBI; emphasizing gravity
• [08:36] Security detail unable to wake Patel; emergency protocols
• [09:36] National security risks and official anxiety amid global crises
• [12:11] Miller’s closing call for public accountability and investigation

---

Summary Tone and Takeaway

Miller delivers the episode with a blend of disbelief, sarcasm, and urgency. The underlying throughline is that the allegations—coming from multiple, on-the-record sources—paint a picture not just of personal failing, but profound risk to national security. Miller’s irreverent language underscores both the absurdity and seriousness of the situation, humorously juxtaposing normal office behavior or minor screw-ups with the huge stakes of Patel’s job.

Bottom Line:
If the reporting is accurate, Kash Patel is unfit for one of the most sensitive roles in American government—and an immediate, public reckoning is overdue.

---

Transcript

[Lingokids Parent]

The number one job of any parent is to look out for their kids.

[Child]

Sometimes mom doesn't let me use my tablet.

[Lingokids Parent]

Well, that is part of looking out for you. Your parents want to make sure you're safe while you're having fun. I guess that's what we want too. We're Lingokids and we're here to help parents out. Lingokids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids because kids love it and parents can trust it.

What?

Lingokids has lots of fun stuff that parents can feel good about, like songs and shows, plus activities featuring beloved Disney characters from Disney's Moana, Frozen and more.

[Child]

I love Disney stories.

[Lingokids Parent]

Who doesn't? Lingokids has over 1 million daily users, so it looks like a lot of people love it already. Plus, when your parents download the Lingokids app, they can get a one week free trial. Lingokids everything kids love download the app for free.

[Spinquest Advertiser]

Whether it's slots or live dealers, Spinquest.com has the fun and action you're looking for with Spinquest exclusives. Blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and even live dice with craps and bubble craps. The games never stop so you don't have to. And right now, new users get $30 coin packs for just 10 bucks. Play [e-mail] SpinQuest is a free to

[Child]

play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details. Hey everybody, Tim Miller from the Bulwark here. There is an amazing story in the Atlantic about drunk Cash Patel being passed out at the switch at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and I had to get that to you as soon as I could. So I'm going to give you an annotated reading of this banger of a story from Sarah Fitzpatrick over at the Atlantic. I have more guests from the Atlantic than any other outlet, so I don't feel like I'm giving them short shrift by doing this on my own. But you should subscribe to them. If you subscribe to Borg first substack or YouTube, subscribe to Borg First. Subscribe to our feed. But you've already done that, man. Great bang for your buck over at the Atlantic. Let's read this story together, man. Is it scary and delicious and filled with schadenfreude all at once? The FBI director is MIA Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences. Here we go. It begins. Deep breath. On Friday, April 10, as FBI Director Cash Patel is preparing to leave work for the weekend. He struggled to log into an internal computer system. He quickly became convinced that he had been locked out, and he panicked, frantically calling aides and allies to announce that he'd been fired by the White House. Bro has no chill, you know, no chill. Did you just. Maybe you should just double checked your password keeper. You know, maybe you accidentally did that thing where you chose the strong password and. And you don't have it saved. That's something to consider before frantically announcing you've been fired just because you can't get into your web portal. Anyway, continued. Nine people confirmed the story, by the way. Nine people confirmed the story. That's important to say because the White House has replied saying this is fake news and they're gonna sue. So I guess Jeffrey Goldberg and the folks at the Atlantic will be seeing them in court. I'm gonna believe the nine sources in the Atlantic over the liars in this administration, but to each their own. The story continues. Two of the people described his behavior when he got locked out as a freakout. The result of that freak out was people across the FBI, across Congress. Other officials in the Trump administration had started to deal with the possibility that there's going to be a new head of the FBI. Some of them were happy he was gone. Some of them were thinking about his replacement. The White House fielded calls from inside the bureau and members of Congress asking who was in charge. Turned out that it was Patel that was still in charge. He hadn't been fired. It was just a technical error, and it was quickly resolved. So, you know, and that's not the biggest bombshell story in a vacuum, but it does show a guy that's pretty punchy, you know, a guy that is a little quick to the trigger finger for, you know, somebody that's in a job that requires a lot of judgment, you know, and if you had somebody in your office, let's say that had gotten locked out of their slack, their password wasn't working. And rather than going to the IT guy and being like, hey, I'm locked out of slack, they started panicking, calling people, saying, like, I've been fired. They fired me. They didn't deserve me. You know, they think they can do better without me. Whatever, that's fine. I'm going back to Vegas. I'm going to go party with my girlfriend. She's hot. You know, fuck these people. I'm out. And then like five minutes later, you realize that they just hadn't done the ampersand, they did the A instead. Like, what would you think about that, colleague? You think they're a little bit loose cannon. You know, somebody can't handle too much adversity. Like that would be okay if their job is like accounting or something. But the head of FBI. A lot of adversity. Let's continue. Maybe that's just one example. We scroll down. We're talking about the other sources that the Atlantic spoke to inside the bureau and around the administration. These sources said that the problems with Patel's conduct go well beyond what has been previously known and reported. They include both conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences. His behavior often alarmed officials of the FBI and doj, even as he wants support from within the White House for his eager participation in Trump's efforts to turn the federal law enforcement agency against his perceived enemies. He's tried, at least not a lot of success on that front. Several officials tell Sarah Fitzpatrick of the Atlantic that Patel's drinking has been a recurring source of concern across the government. They said he's known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication in many cases at the private Club neds in Washington, D.C. he's also known to drink to excess in the Poodle Room, where all the butch alphas go. The Poodle Room in Las Vegas. He frequently spends part of his weekends there. Should the head of the FBI ever be in the Poodle Room in Vegas? You know, maybe for like their friend's 50th or their brother's bachelor party, like maybe one time during your tender tenure, you have an excuse. You go to the Poodle Room. The deputy director's in charge. But Cash Patel is frequently spending his weekends at the Poodle Room in Vegas. Our taxpayer dollars are flying him from D.C. to Vegas so he can get hammered. Let's pull out the Poodle Room. I don't even know what happens there. Poodle rooms in the Fontableau Hotel. I don't know if any y' all have been there and seen Cash send me that message, but I don't know, it just seems like the FBI director should be on the job a little bit more than this, but we'll continue. Early in his tenure, meetings and briefings had to be rescheduled for later in the day as a result of his alcohol fueled nights. Six current and former officials and others familiar with Patel's schedule told me, let me tell you, I go out drinking here in New Orleans. I got a lot of buddies. I like to go to concerts. I got a podcast every morning. I tape it for you guys Sometimes every once in a while, some of you tell Me in the comments that look a little worse for the wear. That's okay. But I'm here. I'm in the office. I've never once emailed producer Katie's and said, hey, gals, can we tape the pot at one today? Because, you know, I had one too many pops at Tipitina's last night. Like, I've never done that. Not one time. The head of the f. I'm a fucking podcaster. I'm a podcaster. Wouldn't be that big of a deal, actually, if I ever did that. If I. If I was so hungover I couldn't podcast till 1. And then that podcast came out at 7 at night instead of 4 in the afternoon. Some of you guys would be annoyed. In the end, you know, life would move on. Like, this is. This is an opinion podcast. Cash is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He's supposed to be protecting us from terrorists. It's one of the most important jobs in the country. He's skipping meetings. He's skipping meetings because he didn't take his Zebiotics pre alcohol. That's a freebie for you guys at Zebiotics. I just. That is insane. Happened multiple times, according to six current and former officials. We keep going. On multiple occasions in the past year, members of a security detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated, according to information supplied to the Justice Department and White House officials. A request for breaching equipment normally used by SWAT and hostage rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request. They had to send the SWAT team in because dude was so hungover that he had passed out, was unresponsive to phone calls, didn't put his phone on the charger. No. Like, didn't brush his teeth, just fell asleep in the shoes Donald Trump gave him that are four sizes too big and. And, you know, head on the toilet. We had to spend our taxpayer dollars again to send a SWAT team in to wake bro up, wipe the vomit off his mouth. Like, dude, dude, how many beers did you shotgun last night? Like, we've got. We need you to approve this warrant. Wake up. Like, we've got some. We've got some rumors of a Iranian sleeper cell in Texas. We need you to lock in on that. Like, get your head off the bathroom floor. Mr. Director, current and former officials told the Atlantic that they have worried about what happened in the event of a domestic terror attack. While Patel's in the office, they said their apprehension has increased significantly in the weeks since Trump launched his military campaign against Iran. That's what keeps me up at night, one official said. Somebody in this administration staying up at night because they're so worried about cash. Think about how worried that makes me. I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight. This is truly amazing. If you're a desk jockey at a PR firm and you go out to see Tiesto and the fucking vodka sodas and Molly are just flowing, and you fall asleep on your friend's couch and wake up with your shoes on, fully clothed at 10:30am the next day with seven unresponded to calls from your superior at the PR firm. At the end of the day, life is going to move on. You know, you're going to be a little embarrassed. You go in, you take a shower, you go to lunch. Sorry, boss. Maybe make up a lie. Maybe get a cool boss. Like, there's certain jobs where this is, like, not great, not good behavior. If it happens a couple more than a couple times, you should probably see a therapist or consider aa, but, you know, it happens every once in a while. You're in your 20s. This guy's the director of the FBI. Not responding to calls. Like, it's a job where you need to respond to your phone like, dudes hanging out in Vegas in the poodle room. It's one thing to be shotgun and beers with the U.S. hockey team. You know, a lot of complaints about that. A lot of people judged him, including, according to reports, the president. But, like, okay, it'd be one thing if that was like, hey, I got too excited. We won the gold. I'm a hockey guy. Inappropriate. This ain't that. This is like, multiple officials inside the FBI talking to the Atlantic, being like, we can't get dude on the phone. He's such a drunk. He's not showing up to work. He's paranoid. He's looking around like he's here in helicopters. This guy needs a cleanse. This guy needs to go to Mexico and spend a couple weeks in a detox center, all right? Doing yoga. That's what he needs. Drinking green juice. Clean out the system. He does not need to be running the FBI. Get Cash Patel out of the FBI immediately. Find the Democrats. I'm writing up my letter right now. Call him in front of Congress. Call his colleagues in front of Congress and get to the bottom of this. All right. I'm Tim Miller. Subscribe to the feed. Shout out again to Sarah Fitzpatrick. Great story over the Atlantic. We'll be seeing you all soon. Peace.

[Lingokids Parent]

I used to feel so guilty handing over the tablet just to get things done. We all do. But honestly, I switched to lingokids. The guilt is gone and the kids are obsessed. Really? Do they actually like it? Oh, they love it. It's all games, music lessons and stories. They think they're just playing, but I know they're safe from weird ads and junk.

[Child]

Mom, look. I'm flying into space. See?

[Lingokids Parent]

They're happy. I'm happy.

[Spinquest Promoter (Bretzky)]

Bingo.

[Child]

Kids. Everything kids love.

[Spinquest Promoter (Bretzky)]

What's up, baby? It's Bretzky. And I'm here to tell you that spinquest.com is giving out free sweeps coins. All you gotta do is purchase a ten dollar coin pack. And guess what? They're gonna give you the coins from a thirty dollar coin pack that lets you play all your favorite games like Blackjack, Wanted Dead or Wild. And we're talking real cash prizes, baby.

[Child]

Spinquest.com Spinquest is a free to play social casino void where prohibited. Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Carvana User]

Hey sweetie. Your mother showed me this Carvana thing for selling the car. I'm gonna give it a try. Wish me luck. Me again. I put in the license plate. It gave me an offer. Unbelievable. Okay, I accepted the offer. They're picking it up Tuesday from the driveway. I haven't even left my chair. It's done. The car is gone. I'm holding a check anyway. Carvana, give it a whirl. Love you.

[Lingokids Parent]

So good you'll want to leave a voicemail about it. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pickup fees may apply.