Bombshell: Kash Patel Got Arrested for Public Urination and Alcohol-Related Incidents in College
FBI Director Kash Patel was arrested twice in alcohol-related incidents while he was a college student and law student, according to records obtained by The Intercept that shed new light on episodes Patel disclosed more than two decades ago.
The arrests were detailed by Patel himself in a 2005 letter concerning disclosures on his Florida Bar application, according to the outlet.
The letter was included in Patel’s personnel file at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, where he later worked after becoming a member of the Florida Bar.
One incident occurred in 2001 while Patel was an undergraduate student at the University of Richmond in Virginia.
Patel wrote that he had attended a home basketball game while helping run the Richmond Rowdies, a student fan organization, after consuming two alcoholic drinks.
He said a school officer escorted him from the arena because of what he described as excessive cheering.
“Upon exiting the arena,” Patel wrote, “the officer placed me under arrest for public intoxication, as I was not yet of 21 years of age.”
Patel said he paid a fine following the incident.
NBC News previously reported on the 2001 arrest and said Patel was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge days later.
A second arrest occurred in 2005, when Patel was attending Pace University School of Law in New York.
According to Patel’s account, he had been celebrating with friends and visited several local bars where the group consumed alcohol.
While walking home, Patel and others attempted to urinate in public.
“In a gross deviation from appropriate conduct, we attempted to relieve our bladders while walking home,” Patel wrote.
Police encountered the group before they could do so, according to Patel.
“Before we could even do so, a police cruiser stopped the group,” he wrote. “We were then arrested for public urination.”
Patel said he paid a fine following that arrest as well, according to The Interceptr.
The FBI director addressed both incidents in the 2005 letter, apologizing for his behavior and arguing that the arrests did not reflect his normal conduct.
“Both of these incidents are not representative of my usual conduct of behavior,” Patel wrote, adding that he hoped they would be viewed as “an anomaly.”
The newly reported letter comes as Patel faces separate allegations concerning his alcohol consumption more than two decades later.
The Atlantic recently reported, citing anonymous sources, that Patel’s drinking had become a “recurring source of concern across the government” and alleged that he had been intoxicated at private clubs in Washington and Las Vegas.
Patel has categorically denied allegations that excessive drinking has affected his work.
“These claims about erratic behavior and excessive drinking are fabricated,” attorney Jesse Binnall wrote in a defamation complaint filed on Patel’s behalf.
Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit over the allegations.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, the FBI director again rejected claims that he had been intoxicated while working.
“I have never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit,” Patel said.
He then issued a warning to others considering making similar allegations.
“And any one of you who wants to participate, bring it on,” Patel said. “I’ll see you in court.”
A spokesperson for Patel also defended the FBI director following publication of the records, noting that his background had been examined before he assumed leadership of the bureau.
“Kash’s entire background was thoroughly examined and vetted prior to him assuming this role,” spokesperson Erica Knight said.
Knight characterized renewed attention on the decades-old incidents as an attempt to undermine Patel and distract from his work leading the FBI.
Patel ultimately went on from the two incidents to practice law and hold a series of national security positions before becoming the ninth director of the FBI.
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