(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The Atlantic celebrated a federal judge’s ruling Tuesday that temporarily halts most the discovery requests in FBI Director Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against the publication.
U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan granted The Atlantic’s request to pause discovery as he considers the magazine’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, according to several outlets.
“The judge’s ruling in favor of The Atlantic is a significant procedural victory in our defense against this meritless lawsuit,” the magazine said in a statement Tuesday.
The Atlantic said it is beginning discovery in Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against the magazine.
“If Director Patel did not want to face this process, he should not have filed this suit,” an Atlantic spokesperson said. pic.twitter.com/0TZ8eMB6ag
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) November 10, 2026
Attorneys for The Atlantic, on the other hand, said they would start seeking discovery from the DOJ and the FBI as part of their response to the lawsuit. The magazine indicated it would seek depositions of Patel-linked individuals.
“As we said this summer: If Director Patel did not want to face this process, he should not have filed this suit,” the statement continued.
At the center of the lawsuit is an April 17 article by The Atlantic that accused Patel of excessive drinking and other erratic behavior.
Additionally, the story claimed that Patel repeatedly missed work and was in constant fear of losing his job. Notably, the story relied on anonymous sources, effectively hindering any attempts to corroborate or counter its claims.
In response, Patel, through his personal attorney, Jesse R. Binnall, warned the magazine against publishing the allegations before the story went live. The FBI director ultimately filed a $250 million lawsuit against the magazine.
“They were on notice that the claims were categorically false and defamatory. They published anyway,” Binnall said in April. “See you in court.”
This is the letter we sent to The Atlantic and Sarah Fitzpatrick BEFORE they published their hit piece on FBI Director @FBIDirectorKash. They were on notice that the claims were categorically false and defamatory. They published anyway.
See you in court. pic.twitter.com/Ke8cqNh8hY
— Jesse R. Binnall (@jbinnall) April 17, 2026
The lawsuit came amid broader media scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s newly appointed Cabinet officials during his second term.
Patel separately faced criticism from partisan Democrats who questioned whether he had the experience necessary to lead the FBI. The criticism was unlike anything seen during the Biden administration, despite the controversies surrounding the previous administration’s DOJ and FBI.
Patel has also faced mounting criticism from some Republicans who argue that the FBI has been slow to hold accountable officials involved in what they have rebuked as the weaponization of federal law enforcement against Trump, his allies and supporters following his departure from the White House in January 2021.
Since taking over the FBI, Patel has made a trove of documents available through the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, shedding light on the aggressive investigative efforts undertaken by the Biden-led FBI against Trump.
Among the disclosures were records related to the FBI’s Arctic Frost investigation, which paved the way for the controversial appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel.
Records released by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed that investigators issued 197 subpoenas seeking information on at least 430 Republican individuals and entities.
Democrats and the same media outlets criticizing Patel have largely turned a blind eye to these explosive revelations.
