Kash Patel’s Controversial Move Raises New Risks for Donald Trump’s DOJ

A lawyer made a strong claim Monday that FBI Director Kash Patel’s latest decision could have serious consequences for President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. The lawyer criticized Patel, saying the decision to file the lawsuit was a mistake.

Michael Popok, a lawyer and host of the podcast "The Intersection with Michael Popok," said during an episode Monday, April 20, 2026, that Patel’s decision to sue The Atlantic for $250 million in a defamation lawsuit over an article alleging “excessive drinking” could allow the Justice Department to be deposed in the case.

Popok said the action could allow The Atlantic to obtain additional information about other reported incidents that may not have been fully documented.

Popok criticized Patel, calling the decision to file the lawsuit a mistake. Popok said, “What you've really done is open up Kash Patel, those in his inner circle, both current and former FBI, those who have been fired, and all the sources for the reporting to have to testify.”

Further calling out the former Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Popok added, “This is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.”

The developments followed a report published by The Atlantic that described alleged erratic behavior by Patel while leading the agency.

As a result, the former lawyer allegedly threatened to sue the publication. According to reports, Patel’s attorneys have called the article a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece” in the lawsuit.

The article reported that Patel was locked out of an internal FBI computer system on April 10, 2026. The report alleged that Patel believed he had been fired by the White House after the incident.

The article further alleged that Patel contacted aides and allies following the lockout. In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Patel’s attorneys confirmed he was locked out of the system, describing the incident as a "routine technical problem logging into a government system, which was quickly fixed."

The incident prompted speculation about whether Patel had been fired, but administration officials denied the claim.

Patel’s lawsuit also denied claims that he "panicked" or had a "meltdown," stating that the FBI informed The Atlantic before publication that any reports about his firing were a "made-up rumor."

The FBI declined to comment Monday when asked by NBC News whether the April 10, 2026, incident led Patel to believe he had been fired. The lawsuit further alleged that the Atlantic article written by Sarah Fitzpatrick included other "demonstrably and obviously false" claims.

The lawsuit stated that Patel is "at FBI headquarters nearly every single day, and when he is not at headquarters, he is visiting field offices — which he has done more frequently than any of his predecessors, a fact independently verifiable through his public social media account that defendants were specifically directed to review."