Embattled agency head Kash Patel won’t be handing out “FBI Director” bourbon for much longer, according to a former Trump aide.
Miles Taylor served as Homeland Security chief of staff in the first Trump administration and says he’s surprised Trump, 79, has kept Patel on as long as he has, given the myriad reports of Patel’s excessive drinking, a habit Trump famously abhors.
“If there’s one thing that the president doesn’t tolerate it’s excessive drinking,” Taylor, now a vocal critic of Trump, said on MS NOW.
He predicts Patel will be out the door before Labor Day.
“I think it’s remarkable he’s hung on this long, there was of course reporting that the president was close to replacing Patel, I would be very surprised if he makes it through the summer.”
The FBI director was roundly criticized after he was filmed carousing with the USA Men’s Hockey team at the Milan Olympics in February following their gold medal win.
Patel was caught on camera chugging a beer and slapping a table. He was reportedly given a dressing down from the president at the time, with the president telling him he was disappointed by the behavior.
Since then, the stories about Patel’s drinking have only gotten worse.
In an article in The Atlantic in April, several officials said Patel’s drinking has been a “recurring source of concern across the government” and that he is “known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication.”
It cited over two dozen anonymous sources, and described Patel’s drinking problem as so severe it could “threaten national security.”
Patel has denied the allegations and sued the publication for defamation, but his actions in handling the fallout of the story have also brought fresh criticisms.
In the wake of the article’s publication, there have been concerns raised over Patel’s seeming desire to punish the journalists who reported the claims against him.
Reports of Patel ordering lie detector tests, and possibly sending agents to tail journalists have emerged as the social-media obsessed Patel hides out.
Patel is reportedly avoiding senior officials in the Trump administration while he waits for coverage of his missteps and misdemeanors to die down.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
