Hey, everybody. I'm Alison Gill. And this weekend, Sarah Fitzpatrick at The Atlantic,

put out a story about the director of the FBI, Kosh Patel, and apparently his frequent

drinking binges. And here's a quote. On multiple occasions in the past year, members of his security

detail had difficulty waking Patel because he was seemingly intoxicated,

according to information supplied to Justice Department and White House officials.

A request for breaching equipment, normally used by SWAT and hostage rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings,

was made last year because Patel had been

unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request.

So we're going to talk about the implications on today's episode of The Breakdown.

Hey, everybody, welcome to The Breakdown. I'm Allison Gill. And joining me by phone today to discuss the latest about Kosh Patel is someone who's actually really familiar with the importance of

leadership being at the top of their game. It's former deputy director of the FBI, Andy McCabe.

Andy, thanks for joining me today. Hey, Allison, it's a pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me.

Yeah, thanks. And I know you're reaching up by phone. You're in between a couple of things, so I

appreciate you taking the time. And let me read to you from this piece by Sarah Fitzpatrick.

Another quote in the Atlantic. She writes,

several officials told me that Patel's drinking has been a recurring source of concern across the

government. They said that he's known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication in many cases

at the private club Ned's in Washington, D.C., while in the presence of White House and other

administration staff. He's also known to drink to excess at the poodle room in Las Vegas,

where he frequently spends parts of his weekends. Early in his tenure, meetings and briefings

had to be rescheduled for later in the day as a result of his alcohol-fueled nights, according to six

current and former officials and others familiar with Patel's schedule.

...