April 22, 2026
FBI Director Gets In Shouting Match With Reporter, Denies Drinking On The Job
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RSS Feed In Kash Patel’s first presser since “The Atlantic” published its story alleging the FBI Director has “bouts of excessive drinking” and several unexplained absences, things got heated pretty quickly. Patel got into a fiery exchange with an NBC reporter over allegations he panicked, believing he was fired when he couldn’t access his government computer. It was an intense back and forth that eventually led to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche interrupting the exchange to tell the reporter he was “extraordinarily rude.”
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Folks, it is Wednesday, April twenty second, and we have gotten a bold, defiant denial from FBI Director Cash Battel. What is he denying? Being a lush shot work? And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and PDA. Not usually a good sign if you have to come out and say I was not drunk at work. But that's kind of the position he's been put in with this new article.
00:00:26
Speaker 2: Yes, and it was an uncomfortable position that led to a fiery exchange at a press conference. Look, I think we sometimes get desensitized to what we're seeing from the administration when it comes to reporters. But you and I watched this press conference late Tuesday, and we looked at each other, and it's jaw dropping to see members of an administration sparring with reporters. We've seen that over the years, obviously contentious White House press briefings.
00:00:58
Speaker 1: Yes, but I nothing.
00:00:59
Speaker 2: I don't think think I've seen anything quite like what we saw on Tuesday.
00:01:03
Speaker 1: But isn't this typical? For whatever reason, I'm picturing Pam Bondi, I'm picturing Pete Hexath, I'm picturing it seems like every member of the ministration is kind of sometimes following the lead of Papa Bear, who we have seen go after reporters from the moment he started campaigning. It is isn't this just what they do?
00:01:26
Speaker 2: True? Yes, but it just seems to be escalating and then we just seem to be okay with it, consider it normal. I was just thinking back to when I was working in DC, or anytime you've been in a position where you're there to ask an administration something, and yeah, sometimes it's tense and controversial and adversarial, but there's always a level of decorum still, even if voices get raised or there's a little bit of anger. That's all completely changed now, and I just it's still shocking to me when I see the exchanges and that this is obviously good for television and makes headlines, but I just think about what it's doing to us, that this is just okay, this is just how we interact.
00:02:11
Speaker 1: And we're gonna play for you exactly what Robes is talking about here. But Robes, I do agree with what you're saying now, where I guess the adversarial relationship we're used to having with somebody you ask a question to had to do with that question the adversarial relationship now is just it's personal. You ask a question I don't like and you're immediately fake news, You're after me. He called them the mafia yesterday. Right, it becomes just personal. It's not even a matter of I don't like your question or I'm mad that you brought this up right now, it's you are a problem. You and they get scolded in such a way in front of everybody. I think that's what the administration sometimes it's done. It's just dismissive. You don't even have a right to be here to ask me a question.
00:03:00
Speaker 2: Is the tone yes, and there's name calling, You're a liar.
00:03:03
Speaker 1: You know.
00:03:04
Speaker 2: This is stuff that you I mean that we saw when we were in elementary school on playgrounds and it's playing out with microphones and cameras. Our kids are watching, the world is watching. I was actually embarrassed watching what went on, just as an American. This is where we are.
00:03:22
Speaker 1: Yeah, there was a bit of no, you are, but was that thing I know you know you are, but what it was a little hint of that. When cash Bettel was asked some fairly legitimate questions, including the first one, which was simply I'll give you a chance to respond to the article if folks don't know what we're talking about. Now. He has filed a two hundred and fifty million dollar defamation lawsuit against the athlete at Atlantic Atlantic against that publication after they released an article that had sourcing up on sourcing, up on sourcing, even though it was a lot of unnamed but they detailed not just an incident where he was drinking here too much, an incident randomly over here where he might have embarrassed himself, a pattern, an extended pattern, and some pretty robes disturbing incidents. This thing laid out. It was not a good look.
00:04:13
Speaker 2: Yes, and in some of the specifics of that article, there was one in particular that he actually I think that prompted this fiery exchange with an NBC reporter saying that he basically couldn't get into his government computer and freaked out, panicked. This was sourced by nine people who they say witnessed it or were a part of watching some element of it where he was calling people frantically and telling everyone he got fired. He just assumed immediately that he was being fired by President Trump, and that's why he was locked out of his computer. He completely denied that episode. But yes, not a good look. Somebody who is unhinged, somebody who is unavailable from drinking venders from the night before, who's been publicly intoxicated in front of White House staffers at private clubs, is spent a lot of his time in Vegas, So yes, this was a terrible look. And pointing out the fact that he was seen on camera by millions of people chugging beers with the men's US hockey team. So yes, this article was devastating.
00:05:14
Speaker 1: And unfortunately it went in line with what some people already thought about him. So rose the most disturbing incident in there, not him not being able to be found by this is the FBI director. You have to be able to get in touch with him. They went so long without being able to have contact with him that they actually ordered specialty equipment that's meant to break down doors and to breach a room, because they were going robes that is beyond just somebody over sleeping.
00:05:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, they were saying he was basically passed out behind a locked door.
00:05:49
Speaker 1: Yes, so that's what that was that came out over the weekend. He files a defamation lawsuit two undred and fifty million dollars. The Atlantic is standing by his reporting. So yesterday, Ropes, this press conference he gets up in front of reporters, had nothing actually to do with the article or him. Frankly, that's right.
00:06:08
Speaker 2: He was standing next to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and they were there to tout this big indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The FBI and the AG certainly pursuing charges saying that the SPLC used its center to pay informants in extremist screws basically millions of dollars. They're claiming to fuel rhetoric basically or actions that would spark racial division so that they could be relevant.
00:06:40
Speaker 1: Basically, that's a jaw dropper and a headline. No one care not what came out of this press conference. Yes, that is a very big story and needs to be when we're looking into and talking to it. I'm going to be talking about it later. But Ropes, when the opportunity came for questions, Cash Hotel got several, and the first one that started off, We're going to let you hear two exchanges in particular. The first one is really Robes. The young lady reporter just said give you an opportunity to respond. You'll hear her voice first, and then he gives his answer. Here now, Cash Putel just yesterday responding to the Atlantic Particle, to.
00:07:21
Speaker 3: Respond directly to the allegations in the Atlantic article that your unexplained absence has created a national security risk. And beyond that, can you say definitively that you have not been intoxicated or absent during your tenure as FBI director.
00:07:37
Speaker 4: I can say unequivocally that I never listened to the fake news mafia, and as when they get louder, it just means I'm doing my job. This FBI director has been on the job twice as many days as every director before me. What that means is, I've taken half as many days off as those before me. What that means is I've taken a third less vacation than those before me. What that means is that this FBI, with this Department of Justice, has dropped the murder eate twenty points. What that means is this FBI, with this Department of Justice, has captured eight of the top ten most wanted futures in the world, twice as many as the Biden administration did in its entire four years. What that means is this FBI has seized enough Fenton off the streets to kill one hundred and seventy eight million Americans, a thirty one percent increase. What that means is this FBI and this DOJ has arrested forty three percent more spies in fourteen months and the entirety of the Biden administration. What that means is this FBI has seen a reduction in opiate overdose debts up to twenty percent alone. What that means is that we have found sixty three hundred child victims, sixty three hundred families have their kids back. That is a twenty two percent increase from the Biden administration. I'm on the job. I'm the first one in, I'm the last one out. I'm like an everyday American who loves his country, loves the sport of hockey, and champions.
00:08:58
Speaker 1: My friends.
00:08:59
Speaker 4: When they raise a gold Man, invite me into celebrate. I've never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we file a two hundred and fifty million dollar defamation lawsuit, and any one of you that wants to participate, bring it on. I'll see you in court.
00:09:12
Speaker 1: What'd you hear?
00:09:14
Speaker 2: I heard deflection. I heard him basically defending his efforts as FBI director. But yeah, just trying to take advantage of the moment to tout his wins and deflect away from the allegations.
00:09:31
Speaker 1: I wrote the word down deflection as I was listening to him. Again, That's what it sounded like. Now, what's most important in there is that he said I've never been intoxicated at work.
00:09:39
Speaker 2: Yes, he did say that. We waited for it because we were listening to it, and we thought, wow, is he never going to acknowledge. He did eventually make that very clear statement.
00:09:50
Speaker 1: But that hockey moment must have been a big deal. Nobody asked him about that hockey moment, and he brought it up anyway. Quite frankly, I got no problem with that hockey moment. I thought it was a bad look keeping what was going on in the world, and I thought it was a little bs his excuse for going over there and all that. So it's okay, So what I take him at his word. What happened? Fine, that was celebratory. He brought that one up. Robes. The allegations in that article are damning, and none of them are about that moment in the hockey. Yeah.
00:10:21
Speaker 2: I think he knows that one was the one people saw that was all over the news. However, that was the that is the least of his problems in that article. It was all the other stuff that that article pointed out that that was the problem. That was the thing he had to acknowledge because it's irrefutable. He obviously did drink the front of camera.
00:10:40
Speaker 1: But that's the thing. That's the one I think he didn't have to. We can all understand I would have thrown a beer down in the Oval office after that moment. No, I'm saying we were all just that excited. He had a moment. It's one beer. He slammed it the I think the complaints then weren't necessarily about him drinking and being a drunk. It was him being off the job where all this was going on with Iran and it seemed like he just planned a meeting to call this a business trip. And it was that controversy I thought at the time, was it not and not the drinking. Yes, And that's the one he brings up. He defended himself against one beer at the height of American patriotism and pride. No knock yourself out.
00:11:20
Speaker 2: He shows that one because it was easily defensible.
00:11:22
Speaker 1: Yeah there was Okay, there it is.
00:11:25
Speaker 2: But that's not so that was him kind of just setting it up. But of course reporters weren't done with their questions, and this is where things got very contentious.
00:11:35
Speaker 1: They are contentious. And because he never gave an answer, we're gonna let you hear this other exchange that even prompted Todd Blanche to say, hey, mister reporter guy, you're being rude. All right, we continue here on Amy and TJ with cash. But well you just heard him a moment ago defending himself in that press conference yesterday, asking being asked questions about the Atlantic article in which it accused him of being, in short, a drunk at the job and skirting some of his responsibility. He is defending himself. He's already fouled a two hundred and fifty million dollar defamation lawsuits, so he's defending himself in court. But did it in front of the press yesterday. Now we just let you hear him respond to initial exchange in which he was simply asked, hey, give you a chance to respond. But then there was a follow up robes right after that with a reporter asking about a specific incident, the specific one you were talking about a moment ago. In a reminder, this was one in which they said, He's simply like, I can't remember how many sources I said this particular.
00:12:48
Speaker 2: In this particular incident, okay.
00:12:50
Speaker 1: And this one is when he got locked out and freaked out.
00:12:52
Speaker 2: Yes, so he couldn't get into his computer. He immediately, according to sources, believed he was being fired by President Trump. And this is how he was finding out and went into a full panic mode, started calling people saying I've been fired. I've got to get into my computer. And so there's this whole scene that's described in The Atlantic. So an NBC reporter asked Cash Battel about that specific detail in the article, and he unraveled.
00:13:21
Speaker 1: I don't know why this one bothered him so much. And you're gonna hear at the beginning of this clip. You're gonna hear the reporter's voice, and there's gonna be some they're gonna be talking over each other a little bit. The reporter's voice is a little more difficult to hear because he's not on microphone, but you should be able to pick it up. Check out cash battel in this other heated exchange. This one goes about two minutes. I do believe. Take a listen playing.
00:13:44
Speaker 5: The computer login issue. Just explain the computer login issue. You were not able to log into Your lawsuit contends that you're not able to log into the system. What did you think after you were unable to log into the system.
00:13:56
Speaker 1: Let's have a survey.
00:13:57
Speaker 4: How many of you people believe that's true?
00:13:59
Speaker 1: Hang on, did you communicate? You asked the question?
00:14:01
Speaker 4: Let me answer it.
00:14:03
Speaker 5: Did you communicate with anyone? But you thought you were fired after you were unable too.
00:14:08
Speaker 4: The problem with you and your report, don't cut me off. You asked the questions. The problem with you and your baseless reporting is that is an absolute lie. It was never said, it never happened. And I will serve in this administration as long as the President the Attorney General want me to do so. And every time you guys report false lies, every time you guys raise baseless questions.
00:14:30
Speaker 1: When we are here to.
00:14:31
Speaker 4: Talk about the Southern Poverty law Centers, three million dollars decade long scheme to fraudulently fleece Americans, you are off topic, whether you think the simple answer to your question is you are lying, and every time you do so, I've answered your question. It's simply as follows. I was never locked out of my systems. Anybody who says it, anyone that says the opposite is lying.
00:15:04
Speaker 1: That was Todd Len.
00:15:08
Speaker 2: I did appreciate Big Daddy Todd Blesch.
00:15:10
Speaker 1: He was very calm.
00:15:11
Speaker 2: He sets in, he called the reporter extraordinarily rude.
00:15:15
Speaker 1: And just talk to him like, come on, man. I appreciated that to a certain degree. What did you hear from Patel that time?
00:15:21
Speaker 2: Ah, it's it's he just wants to say that everyone's lying. He wants to say it. Look, I'm always a little weary when the answer is always pointing the finger back at the person who questions them, or back at the reporter who had sourcing. I just think there's no explanation given, there's no acknowledgment. There's just you're lying. You're lying, You're this, you're that, you're the mafia. And just in life, think about anybody who you're with, whether it's your partner, it's a friend. If you bring up an issue or you ask a question and they just throw it right back at you and say you're the problem. There's an issue, and so that's what I hear, and that's what I always hear. There's never even an offer of an explanation or even an acknowledgment of something that could have occurred, that could have been misconstrued or just there's always this immediate reaction of just blame the messenger.
00:16:14
Speaker 1: I only wanted as you were talking, I wanted to give space for being trying to understand just how much these folks get attacked day in day out. Everything they do is criticized, everywhere they go, every move that it's just everything. And I'm sure this feels awful to him and he's angry. I'm trying to leave space for him being a human being and having an angry moment up there. But then I robes go to the next thing. Is you signed up for the job, you know what the gig is, and if you're And I'm not used to folks who are not guilty talking that way, right, It's a simple question. You ask me a lot of stuff. You look at me in the eye, robes and you say, TJ, did you wear my heels out last night? I can look you directly in the face, and I get mad and say no, baby. You ask me again the next day and the next day, and you keep you start telling people that I'm wearing your heels. I'm still the answer is still Bay. At some point I might get annoyed, but the answer is still straightforward. I can look you in the eye and just say no, Robes, It's that simple. Did you do this? No, Guys, that article is devastating. I fout a lawsuitsan. I'm trying not to tell him how he should act when he's being attacked this way, Robes, That's what I'm trying to leave space for, because what he's doing and the way he's responding is the way guilty people respond exactly.
00:17:45
Speaker 2: But you attack, you attack instead of and and then you deflect right, Roades.
00:17:51
Speaker 1: When he was asked a simple question about it, his first thing was, let me take a survey of the room. What the fuck? What?
00:17:57
Speaker 2: Who does that? And that's what the reporter was like, No, we're not doing that. That's me. I'm asking you a question. Don't take a survey, now, question.
00:18:04
Speaker 1: That this happened. Did you log in and start freaking out about being fired?
00:18:10
Speaker 2: And look, I know that it might sound patronizing to say, we want to give you the opportunity to respond, but honestly, this is his opportunity to be a leader, to be an FBI director, to say, I am constantly under attack. I get that, and it's your job to scrutinize me, and I appreciate that. So we're all doing our jobs here. But I'm here to tell you that did not happen, and that would just would have been so strong, and it would have come from a place of like it would have seemed as though it came from a place of truth. This doesn't seem like it's coming from a place of truth. It seems like it's coming from a place of of panicking and attacking and defense. And it just it doesn't It doesn't feel true.
00:18:49
Speaker 1: But it feels like power and strength to him. It looks weak, but it feels power and strength to him. This is just what this is the place book? Is it not? You said something I don't like. I am going to punish you for it. I am going to publicly scold you for it, and then I'm going to sue you for it. Where have we seen that pattern before? I mean, this is just right, isn't the standard stuff for them. I hate this and this is and if it's not true, bro, we the Atlantic they not just messing around, and they know they have lawyers in there before they would allow something like this out. You know how well this thing was vetted.
00:19:32
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, And their official their official statement is we stand by our reporting on Cash Hotel and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritleist lawsuit. They knew a lawsuit was coming, They knew if they published this, and they did it anyway, And I think that speaks volumes because news publications do not have extra money laying around these days to cover lawsuits. And so if they decided to do this anyway, lawyers, that's impressive, right.
00:20:03
Speaker 1: You know how badly some lawyer was in there, police, y'all, don't you just don't you know how badly a lawyer wanted them to stop but still told him they were on sound footing. And his other lawsuit, yeah yeah, by the way, he just had one thrown out yesterday. He had another lawsuit against another reporter from NBC, some analysts who just made some flippant like joke and he sued him. That one got thrown out. Defamation is a high bar, a high higher bar. He's not gonna win this lawsuit.
00:20:30
Speaker 2: No, he's not.
00:20:31
Speaker 1: You have to not only yeah, he had to prove what is the road that, not only that you knew it was a lie, that you knew it could be a lie, and if you knew it was a lie, you reported it. Anyway, It's the bar is impossible. Almost he's not gonna win the lawsuit.
00:20:47
Speaker 2: He's absolutely not gonna win a lawsuit. And look, I maybe some folks think it's good that he's quote unquote standing up for himself, but I don't think he's winning the PR war either.
00:20:58
Speaker 1: But again, most folks would tell you it's a PR war. Who's mostly out there as the soldier in the PR war? The mainstream media and then they're all against him anyway. Maybe they feel that, but that's a legitimate thing. If you don't think that the you should say it just to the the world, say it to everybody in the word. Hey, guys, I saw this article come out, and I want to tell y'all this stuff is not true. I'm filing a lawsuit, but you need to know that your FBI director is sober. Yeah, Like it's important. He is a national leader. Take it to that, Seria, take it that's serious. Robe. I need to know he's not drunk.
00:21:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, and the way he reacted didn't convince me of that, right.
00:21:38
Speaker 1: Well, I hope I convinced you. I don't know why I went with the wearing your heels example.
00:21:43
Speaker 2: The thing that would be ridiculous or like super embarrassing and completely untrue.
00:21:47
Speaker 1: But what was something being line though? Something? Yeah, y'all can accuse me of being drunk, and I would say I could see that.
00:21:57
Speaker 2: And without everyone We thank you as always for listening to us. We will talk to you very soon on any Robot alongside TJ. Holmes
Speaker 1: Folks, it is Wednesday, April twenty second, and we have gotten a bold, defiant denial from FBI Director Cash Battel. What is he denying? Being a lush shot work? And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and PDA. Not usually a good sign if you have to come out and say I was not drunk at work. But that's kind of the position he's been put in with this new article.
00:00:26
Speaker 2: Yes, and it was an uncomfortable position that led to a fiery exchange at a press conference. Look, I think we sometimes get desensitized to what we're seeing from the administration when it comes to reporters. But you and I watched this press conference late Tuesday, and we looked at each other, and it's jaw dropping to see members of an administration sparring with reporters. We've seen that over the years, obviously contentious White House press briefings.
00:00:58
Speaker 1: Yes, but I nothing.
00:00:59
Speaker 2: I don't think think I've seen anything quite like what we saw on Tuesday.
00:01:03
Speaker 1: But isn't this typical? For whatever reason, I'm picturing Pam Bondi, I'm picturing Pete Hexath, I'm picturing it seems like every member of the ministration is kind of sometimes following the lead of Papa Bear, who we have seen go after reporters from the moment he started campaigning. It is isn't this just what they do?
00:01:26
Speaker 2: True? Yes, but it just seems to be escalating and then we just seem to be okay with it, consider it normal. I was just thinking back to when I was working in DC, or anytime you've been in a position where you're there to ask an administration something, and yeah, sometimes it's tense and controversial and adversarial, but there's always a level of decorum still, even if voices get raised or there's a little bit of anger. That's all completely changed now, and I just it's still shocking to me when I see the exchanges and that this is obviously good for television and makes headlines, but I just think about what it's doing to us, that this is just okay, this is just how we interact.
00:02:11
Speaker 1: And we're gonna play for you exactly what Robes is talking about here. But Robes, I do agree with what you're saying now, where I guess the adversarial relationship we're used to having with somebody you ask a question to had to do with that question the adversarial relationship now is just it's personal. You ask a question I don't like and you're immediately fake news, You're after me. He called them the mafia yesterday. Right, it becomes just personal. It's not even a matter of I don't like your question or I'm mad that you brought this up right now, it's you are a problem. You and they get scolded in such a way in front of everybody. I think that's what the administration sometimes it's done. It's just dismissive. You don't even have a right to be here to ask me a question.
00:03:00
Speaker 2: Is the tone yes, and there's name calling, You're a liar.
00:03:03
Speaker 1: You know.
00:03:04
Speaker 2: This is stuff that you I mean that we saw when we were in elementary school on playgrounds and it's playing out with microphones and cameras. Our kids are watching, the world is watching. I was actually embarrassed watching what went on, just as an American. This is where we are.
00:03:22
Speaker 1: Yeah, there was a bit of no, you are, but was that thing I know you know you are, but what it was a little hint of that. When cash Bettel was asked some fairly legitimate questions, including the first one, which was simply I'll give you a chance to respond to the article if folks don't know what we're talking about. Now. He has filed a two hundred and fifty million dollar defamation lawsuit against the athlete at Atlantic Atlantic against that publication after they released an article that had sourcing up on sourcing, up on sourcing, even though it was a lot of unnamed but they detailed not just an incident where he was drinking here too much, an incident randomly over here where he might have embarrassed himself, a pattern, an extended pattern, and some pretty robes disturbing incidents. This thing laid out. It was not a good look.
00:04:13
Speaker 2: Yes, and in some of the specifics of that article, there was one in particular that he actually I think that prompted this fiery exchange with an NBC reporter saying that he basically couldn't get into his government computer and freaked out, panicked. This was sourced by nine people who they say witnessed it or were a part of watching some element of it where he was calling people frantically and telling everyone he got fired. He just assumed immediately that he was being fired by President Trump, and that's why he was locked out of his computer. He completely denied that episode. But yes, not a good look. Somebody who is unhinged, somebody who is unavailable from drinking venders from the night before, who's been publicly intoxicated in front of White House staffers at private clubs, is spent a lot of his time in Vegas, So yes, this was a terrible look. And pointing out the fact that he was seen on camera by millions of people chugging beers with the men's US hockey team. So yes, this article was devastating.
00:05:14
Speaker 1: And unfortunately it went in line with what some people already thought about him. So rose the most disturbing incident in there, not him not being able to be found by this is the FBI director. You have to be able to get in touch with him. They went so long without being able to have contact with him that they actually ordered specialty equipment that's meant to break down doors and to breach a room, because they were going robes that is beyond just somebody over sleeping.
00:05:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, they were saying he was basically passed out behind a locked door.
00:05:49
Speaker 1: Yes, so that's what that was that came out over the weekend. He files a defamation lawsuit two undred and fifty million dollars. The Atlantic is standing by his reporting. So yesterday, Ropes, this press conference he gets up in front of reporters, had nothing actually to do with the article or him. Frankly, that's right.
00:06:08
Speaker 2: He was standing next to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and they were there to tout this big indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The FBI and the AG certainly pursuing charges saying that the SPLC used its center to pay informants in extremist screws basically millions of dollars. They're claiming to fuel rhetoric basically or actions that would spark racial division so that they could be relevant.
00:06:40
Speaker 1: Basically, that's a jaw dropper and a headline. No one care not what came out of this press conference. Yes, that is a very big story and needs to be when we're looking into and talking to it. I'm going to be talking about it later. But Ropes, when the opportunity came for questions, Cash Hotel got several, and the first one that started off, We're going to let you hear two exchanges in particular. The first one is really Robes. The young lady reporter just said give you an opportunity to respond. You'll hear her voice first, and then he gives his answer. Here now, Cash Putel just yesterday responding to the Atlantic Particle, to.
00:07:21
Speaker 3: Respond directly to the allegations in the Atlantic article that your unexplained absence has created a national security risk. And beyond that, can you say definitively that you have not been intoxicated or absent during your tenure as FBI director.
00:07:37
Speaker 4: I can say unequivocally that I never listened to the fake news mafia, and as when they get louder, it just means I'm doing my job. This FBI director has been on the job twice as many days as every director before me. What that means is, I've taken half as many days off as those before me. What that means is I've taken a third less vacation than those before me. What that means is that this FBI, with this Department of Justice, has dropped the murder eate twenty points. What that means is this FBI, with this Department of Justice, has captured eight of the top ten most wanted futures in the world, twice as many as the Biden administration did in its entire four years. What that means is this FBI has seized enough Fenton off the streets to kill one hundred and seventy eight million Americans, a thirty one percent increase. What that means is this FBI and this DOJ has arrested forty three percent more spies in fourteen months and the entirety of the Biden administration. What that means is this FBI has seen a reduction in opiate overdose debts up to twenty percent alone. What that means is that we have found sixty three hundred child victims, sixty three hundred families have their kids back. That is a twenty two percent increase from the Biden administration. I'm on the job. I'm the first one in, I'm the last one out. I'm like an everyday American who loves his country, loves the sport of hockey, and champions.
00:08:58
Speaker 1: My friends.
00:08:59
Speaker 4: When they raise a gold Man, invite me into celebrate. I've never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we file a two hundred and fifty million dollar defamation lawsuit, and any one of you that wants to participate, bring it on. I'll see you in court.
00:09:12
Speaker 1: What'd you hear?
00:09:14
Speaker 2: I heard deflection. I heard him basically defending his efforts as FBI director. But yeah, just trying to take advantage of the moment to tout his wins and deflect away from the allegations.
00:09:31
Speaker 1: I wrote the word down deflection as I was listening to him. Again, That's what it sounded like. Now, what's most important in there is that he said I've never been intoxicated at work.
00:09:39
Speaker 2: Yes, he did say that. We waited for it because we were listening to it, and we thought, wow, is he never going to acknowledge. He did eventually make that very clear statement.
00:09:50
Speaker 1: But that hockey moment must have been a big deal. Nobody asked him about that hockey moment, and he brought it up anyway. Quite frankly, I got no problem with that hockey moment. I thought it was a bad look keeping what was going on in the world, and I thought it was a little bs his excuse for going over there and all that. So it's okay, So what I take him at his word. What happened? Fine, that was celebratory. He brought that one up. Robes. The allegations in that article are damning, and none of them are about that moment in the hockey. Yeah.
00:10:21
Speaker 2: I think he knows that one was the one people saw that was all over the news. However, that was the that is the least of his problems in that article. It was all the other stuff that that article pointed out that that was the problem. That was the thing he had to acknowledge because it's irrefutable. He obviously did drink the front of camera.
00:10:40
Speaker 1: But that's the thing. That's the one I think he didn't have to. We can all understand I would have thrown a beer down in the Oval office after that moment. No, I'm saying we were all just that excited. He had a moment. It's one beer. He slammed it the I think the complaints then weren't necessarily about him drinking and being a drunk. It was him being off the job where all this was going on with Iran and it seemed like he just planned a meeting to call this a business trip. And it was that controversy I thought at the time, was it not and not the drinking. Yes, And that's the one he brings up. He defended himself against one beer at the height of American patriotism and pride. No knock yourself out.
00:11:20
Speaker 2: He shows that one because it was easily defensible.
00:11:22
Speaker 1: Yeah there was Okay, there it is.
00:11:25
Speaker 2: But that's not so that was him kind of just setting it up. But of course reporters weren't done with their questions, and this is where things got very contentious.
00:11:35
Speaker 1: They are contentious. And because he never gave an answer, we're gonna let you hear this other exchange that even prompted Todd Blanche to say, hey, mister reporter guy, you're being rude. All right, we continue here on Amy and TJ with cash. But well you just heard him a moment ago defending himself in that press conference yesterday, asking being asked questions about the Atlantic article in which it accused him of being, in short, a drunk at the job and skirting some of his responsibility. He is defending himself. He's already fouled a two hundred and fifty million dollar defamation lawsuits, so he's defending himself in court. But did it in front of the press yesterday. Now we just let you hear him respond to initial exchange in which he was simply asked, hey, give you a chance to respond. But then there was a follow up robes right after that with a reporter asking about a specific incident, the specific one you were talking about a moment ago. In a reminder, this was one in which they said, He's simply like, I can't remember how many sources I said this particular.
00:12:48
Speaker 2: In this particular incident, okay.
00:12:50
Speaker 1: And this one is when he got locked out and freaked out.
00:12:52
Speaker 2: Yes, so he couldn't get into his computer. He immediately, according to sources, believed he was being fired by President Trump. And this is how he was finding out and went into a full panic mode, started calling people saying I've been fired. I've got to get into my computer. And so there's this whole scene that's described in The Atlantic. So an NBC reporter asked Cash Battel about that specific detail in the article, and he unraveled.
00:13:21
Speaker 1: I don't know why this one bothered him so much. And you're gonna hear at the beginning of this clip. You're gonna hear the reporter's voice, and there's gonna be some they're gonna be talking over each other a little bit. The reporter's voice is a little more difficult to hear because he's not on microphone, but you should be able to pick it up. Check out cash battel in this other heated exchange. This one goes about two minutes. I do believe. Take a listen playing.
00:13:44
Speaker 5: The computer login issue. Just explain the computer login issue. You were not able to log into Your lawsuit contends that you're not able to log into the system. What did you think after you were unable to log into the system.
00:13:56
Speaker 1: Let's have a survey.
00:13:57
Speaker 4: How many of you people believe that's true?
00:13:59
Speaker 1: Hang on, did you communicate? You asked the question?
00:14:01
Speaker 4: Let me answer it.
00:14:03
Speaker 5: Did you communicate with anyone? But you thought you were fired after you were unable too.
00:14:08
Speaker 4: The problem with you and your report, don't cut me off. You asked the questions. The problem with you and your baseless reporting is that is an absolute lie. It was never said, it never happened. And I will serve in this administration as long as the President the Attorney General want me to do so. And every time you guys report false lies, every time you guys raise baseless questions.
00:14:30
Speaker 1: When we are here to.
00:14:31
Speaker 4: Talk about the Southern Poverty law Centers, three million dollars decade long scheme to fraudulently fleece Americans, you are off topic, whether you think the simple answer to your question is you are lying, and every time you do so, I've answered your question. It's simply as follows. I was never locked out of my systems. Anybody who says it, anyone that says the opposite is lying.
00:15:04
Speaker 1: That was Todd Len.
00:15:08
Speaker 2: I did appreciate Big Daddy Todd Blesch.
00:15:10
Speaker 1: He was very calm.
00:15:11
Speaker 2: He sets in, he called the reporter extraordinarily rude.
00:15:15
Speaker 1: And just talk to him like, come on, man. I appreciated that to a certain degree. What did you hear from Patel that time?
00:15:21
Speaker 2: Ah, it's it's he just wants to say that everyone's lying. He wants to say it. Look, I'm always a little weary when the answer is always pointing the finger back at the person who questions them, or back at the reporter who had sourcing. I just think there's no explanation given, there's no acknowledgment. There's just you're lying. You're lying, You're this, you're that, you're the mafia. And just in life, think about anybody who you're with, whether it's your partner, it's a friend. If you bring up an issue or you ask a question and they just throw it right back at you and say you're the problem. There's an issue, and so that's what I hear, and that's what I always hear. There's never even an offer of an explanation or even an acknowledgment of something that could have occurred, that could have been misconstrued or just there's always this immediate reaction of just blame the messenger.
00:16:14
Speaker 1: I only wanted as you were talking, I wanted to give space for being trying to understand just how much these folks get attacked day in day out. Everything they do is criticized, everywhere they go, every move that it's just everything. And I'm sure this feels awful to him and he's angry. I'm trying to leave space for him being a human being and having an angry moment up there. But then I robes go to the next thing. Is you signed up for the job, you know what the gig is, and if you're And I'm not used to folks who are not guilty talking that way, right, It's a simple question. You ask me a lot of stuff. You look at me in the eye, robes and you say, TJ, did you wear my heels out last night? I can look you directly in the face, and I get mad and say no, baby. You ask me again the next day and the next day, and you keep you start telling people that I'm wearing your heels. I'm still the answer is still Bay. At some point I might get annoyed, but the answer is still straightforward. I can look you in the eye and just say no, Robes, It's that simple. Did you do this? No, Guys, that article is devastating. I fout a lawsuitsan. I'm trying not to tell him how he should act when he's being attacked this way, Robes, That's what I'm trying to leave space for, because what he's doing and the way he's responding is the way guilty people respond exactly.
00:17:45
Speaker 2: But you attack, you attack instead of and and then you deflect right, Roades.
00:17:51
Speaker 1: When he was asked a simple question about it, his first thing was, let me take a survey of the room. What the fuck? What?
00:17:57
Speaker 2: Who does that? And that's what the reporter was like, No, we're not doing that. That's me. I'm asking you a question. Don't take a survey, now, question.
00:18:04
Speaker 1: That this happened. Did you log in and start freaking out about being fired?
00:18:10
Speaker 2: And look, I know that it might sound patronizing to say, we want to give you the opportunity to respond, but honestly, this is his opportunity to be a leader, to be an FBI director, to say, I am constantly under attack. I get that, and it's your job to scrutinize me, and I appreciate that. So we're all doing our jobs here. But I'm here to tell you that did not happen, and that would just would have been so strong, and it would have come from a place of like it would have seemed as though it came from a place of truth. This doesn't seem like it's coming from a place of truth. It seems like it's coming from a place of of panicking and attacking and defense. And it just it doesn't It doesn't feel true.
00:18:49
Speaker 1: But it feels like power and strength to him. It looks weak, but it feels power and strength to him. This is just what this is the place book? Is it not? You said something I don't like. I am going to punish you for it. I am going to publicly scold you for it, and then I'm going to sue you for it. Where have we seen that pattern before? I mean, this is just right, isn't the standard stuff for them. I hate this and this is and if it's not true, bro, we the Atlantic they not just messing around, and they know they have lawyers in there before they would allow something like this out. You know how well this thing was vetted.
00:19:32
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, And their official their official statement is we stand by our reporting on Cash Hotel and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritleist lawsuit. They knew a lawsuit was coming, They knew if they published this, and they did it anyway, And I think that speaks volumes because news publications do not have extra money laying around these days to cover lawsuits. And so if they decided to do this anyway, lawyers, that's impressive, right.
00:20:03
Speaker 1: You know how badly some lawyer was in there, police, y'all, don't you just don't you know how badly a lawyer wanted them to stop but still told him they were on sound footing. And his other lawsuit, yeah yeah, by the way, he just had one thrown out yesterday. He had another lawsuit against another reporter from NBC, some analysts who just made some flippant like joke and he sued him. That one got thrown out. Defamation is a high bar, a high higher bar. He's not gonna win this lawsuit.
00:20:30
Speaker 2: No, he's not.
00:20:31
Speaker 1: You have to not only yeah, he had to prove what is the road that, not only that you knew it was a lie, that you knew it could be a lie, and if you knew it was a lie, you reported it. Anyway, It's the bar is impossible. Almost he's not gonna win the lawsuit.
00:20:47
Speaker 2: He's absolutely not gonna win a lawsuit. And look, I maybe some folks think it's good that he's quote unquote standing up for himself, but I don't think he's winning the PR war either.
00:20:58
Speaker 1: But again, most folks would tell you it's a PR war. Who's mostly out there as the soldier in the PR war? The mainstream media and then they're all against him anyway. Maybe they feel that, but that's a legitimate thing. If you don't think that the you should say it just to the the world, say it to everybody in the word. Hey, guys, I saw this article come out, and I want to tell y'all this stuff is not true. I'm filing a lawsuit, but you need to know that your FBI director is sober. Yeah, Like it's important. He is a national leader. Take it to that, Seria, take it that's serious. Robe. I need to know he's not drunk.
00:21:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, and the way he reacted didn't convince me of that, right.
00:21:38
Speaker 1: Well, I hope I convinced you. I don't know why I went with the wearing your heels example.
00:21:43
Speaker 2: The thing that would be ridiculous or like super embarrassing and completely untrue.
00:21:47
Speaker 1: But what was something being line though? Something? Yeah, y'all can accuse me of being drunk, and I would say I could see that.
00:21:57
Speaker 2: And without everyone We thank you as always for listening to us. We will talk to you very soon on any Robot alongside TJ. Holmes