Donald Trump’s inner circle is looking considerably thinner than it did just a few months ago. Three Cabinet members have departed since February, and whispers about more exits are growing louder as the November 2026 midterm elections draw closer.
Attorney General Pam Bondi left in April, with reports suggesting dissatisfaction over her handling of prosecutions.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was reassigned in March to a new role as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas.
Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer stepped down following allegations of misconduct, while Navy Secretary John Phelan also resigned amid ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Against that backdrop, according to a Politico report, two further names are potentially on shaky ground with the president – FBI Director Kash Patel and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Patel has found himself at the centre of an unwanted spotlight this week after reports emerged about two arrests during his younger years.
In a letter dated 2005, written as part of his personnel file at the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office, Patel described two separate run-ins with the law.
The first incident dates to 2001, when Patel was a student at the University of Richmond in Virginia. He had been involved with a student fan group called the Richmond Rowdies and attended one of their home basketball games. A school officer escorted him out for what Patel described as “excessive cheering.”
“Upon exiting the arena, the officer placed me under arrest for public intoxication, as I was not yet of 21 years of age,” Patel wrote. He said he had consumed only two drinks, paid the resulting fine, and NBC News has since reported he was found guilty of a misdemeanour charge.
The second incident took place when Patel was a law student in New York City. He had been out with friends at local bars. “We went to a few of the local bars and consumed some alcoholic drinks,” he wrote, adding that on the walk home, “we attempted to relieve our bladders.” Before they could do so, a police cruiser stopped the group, and they were arrested for public urination.
Patel ended the letter with an apology, noting that neither incident reflected his normal behaviour.
Atlantic Report And $250 Million Lawsuit That Followed
The old arrests might have remained a footnote had they not arrived alongside a far more serious set of allegations published last week by The Atlantic.
The magazine reported that Patel’s drinking habits and unexplained absences had become a cause for concern among colleagues. The report described him as having been visibly intoxicated at a social club and at a separate private club, calling it “a recurring source of concern across the government.”
“I have never been intoxicated on the job, and that is why we filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit. And any one of you who wants to participate, bring it on. I’ll see you in court,” Patel said.
Italy Trip And Questions Over FBI Resources
Separate questions have also been raised about Patel’s use of FBI resources. He travelled to Italy aboard the FBI’s aircraft for what the bureau described as long-planned official business that ‘happened to coincide’ with the medal rounds of the Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament, where Team USA was competing.
Since taking up the director’s post roughly a year ago, Patel has also drawn criticism from Democrats over trips to Nashville and other cities to visit his girlfriend, as well as visits to a golf destination with friends and attendance at hockey matches. Opposition lawmakers have called on the FBI to account for how bureau resources were used during those trips.