FBI Director Kash Patel slapped The Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick with a defamation lawsuit, after the outlet alleged in a report that he has a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national ‌security.

FBI Director Kash Patel, standing at a lectern beside his boss Tuesday, publicly addressed recent allegations that he has drank to excess, interfering with his duties.

Attorneys representing the FBI Director have called The Atlantic’s piece on Patel a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece”, NBC reported.