FBI Director Kash Patel acknowledged two alcohol-related arrests in his past, according to a 2005 letter he wrote as part of his Florida Bar application. The incidents, which occurred while he was a student, have resurfaced as Patel pushes back against recent allegations about his conduct as FBI director.
The letter was obtained by The Intercept from Patel’s personnel file at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, where he once worked. In the document, Patel described the arrests as isolated incidents tied to behavior in his late teens and early twenties, The Intercept reported.
One of the incidents took place in 2005 while Patel was a law student at Pace University. He said he had been out with friends celebrating and had consumed alcohol before the group walked home.
“We went to a few of the local bars and consumed some alcoholic drinks,” Patel wrote. He said the group then made a decision he described as inappropriate.
“In a gross deviation from appropriate conduct, we attempted to relieve our bladders while walking home,” he wrote. “Before we could even do so, a police cruiser stopped the group. We were then arrested for public urination,” he said.
Patel said he paid a fine following that incident. He also described a second arrest that occurred in 2001 while he was a student at the University of Richmond. In that case, Patel said he had been attending a basketball game where he helped lead cheers as part of a student group. He wrote that he was escorted out of the arena by a school officer for being too exhuberant.
“Upon exiting the arena, the officer placed me under arrest for public intoxication, as I was not yet of 21 years of age,” he wrote. Patel said he had consumed two drinks and paid a fine after the incident.
According to NBC News, which previously reported on the 2001 arrest, Patel was found guilty on a misdemeanor charge days later. The 2005 letter detailing both incidents had not been widely reported prior to The Intercept’s account.
Patel concluded the letter by addressing the incidents directly. “Both of these incidents are not representative of my usual conduct of behavior, and it is my hope that the Board views them as an anomaly,” he wrote.
“I dually apologize for my improper behavior both to the Board and the community at large,” he added. The letter was written as part of the disclosure process required for admission to the Florida Bar.
A spokesperson for Patel defended his record following the report. “Kash’s entire background was thoroughly examined and vetted prior to him assuming this role,” said Erica Knight.
“These attacks are nothing more than an attempt to undermine a process that has already deemed him suitable to serve and a distraction to the record-breaking success of the FBI under Director Patel,” Knight said.
The renewed focus on Patel’s past comes amid more recent allegations about his behavior. A report by The Atlantic cited anonymous sources claiming Patel had been intoxicated at private social clubs and also drank while on the job at the FBI.
The report said his drinking had become “a recurring source of concern across the government.” It referenced incidents at venues including Ned’s in Washington and the Poodle Room in Las Vegas.
Patel has denied those claims and taken legal action. His attorney, Jesse R. Binnall, filed a defamation lawsuit challenging the report. “These claims about erratic behavior and excessive drinking are fabricated,” Binnall wrote in the complaint.
Patel also addressed the allegations publicly. “I have never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit,” Patel said at a press conference. “And any one of you who wants to participate, bring it on. I’ll see you in court.”