Senior White House counter-terrorism adviser sues Politico claiming newspaper falsely accused him of briefing Trump on Ukraine based on leaks from Adam Schiff

  • Kash Patel, the National Security Council's senior counterterrorism director, sued Politico Monday for libel 
  • Patel claims that the news organization falsely accused him of 'lying, deceit and unethical conduct' in stories based on leaked impeachment inquiry testimony 
  • Reporter Natasha Bertrand had sources tell her what witnesses Fiona Hill and Alexander Vindman told lawmakers behind closed doors 
  • Hill testified that Patel was feeding negative information about Ukraine to President Trump, which the NSC staffer denied 
  • Vindman recalled being kept out of a meeting so to not confused the president, who thought Patel was the NSC's top expert on Ukraine, which he wasn't 
  • The lawsuit goes after House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff accusing him of acting in concert with media allies, including at Politico 

Kash Patel, the National Security Council’s senior counterterrorism director, sued Politico on Monday for libel, arguing that the news organization falsely accused him of 'lying, deceit and unethical conduct.' 

Fox News reported that defendants including Politico reporter Natasha Bertrand and Politico owner Robert Allbritton 'acted in concert' with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is leading impeachment proceedings, to 'destroy Kash's reputation' and further 'Schiff's baseless Ukrainian quid pro quo hoax.' 

'This lawsuit is high on bombast and low on merit,' Politico spokesman Brad Dayspring told DailyMail.com. 'It is unserious and is a public relations tactic designed to intimidate journalists and media organizations from doing their job.'  

Kash Patel, the National Security Council's senior counterterrorism director, is suing Politico over news stories that said he was feeding President Trump negative information about Ukraine

Kash Patel, the National Security Council's senior counterterrorism director, is suing Politico over news stories that said he was feeding President Trump negative information about Ukraine 

The libel lawsuit really goes after House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (pictured), saying that Schiff was acting in concert with his allies in the media to 'destroy Kash's reputation'

The libel lawsuit really goes after House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (pictured), saying that Schiff was acting in concert with his allies in the media to 'destroy Kash's reputation'

The complaint stems from an October 23 Politico story, penned by Bertrand, which said Patel was peddling negative information about Ukraine to President Trump and was 'so involved in the issue' that the president thought Patel was the NSC's point guy on Ukraine, which he was not.  

A week later, Bertrand came out with another story that had a source saying Patel 'misrepresented' himself to Trump. 

In both cases, Bertrand was using information from the closed door depositions of Fiona Hill, the former senior director for European and Russian Affairs, and Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council's top Ukraine expert, respectively. 

The lawsuit names Politico reporter Natasha Bertrand, who had sources leak to her some of the impeachment inquiry testimony before it was made public by the committee

The lawsuit names Politico reporter Natasha Bertrand, who had sources leak to her some of the impeachment inquiry testimony before it was made public by the committee 

For both stories, she was leaked information before the official transcripts came out.  

The lawsuit, filed in Virginia where Politico is headquartered, is seeking damages of some $25 million. The suit describes Patel as a 'private figure,' as public figures have a more difficult threshold to meet in libel lawsuits. 

The lawsuit says, according to Fox, that if Politico 'had bothered to wait for the transcript, they would have learned Hill completely fabricated the story that Kash had provided "materials on Ukraine" to the president.' 

There's no evidence that Hill's testimony is inaccurate.  

It goes on to say that Vindman had no first-hand knowledge of what Patel was doing, only having heard about it through Hill. Vindman will testify publicly on Tuesday, while Hill will have her say before lawmakers Thursday. 

Patel says in the lawsuit that 'at no time' before October 30 'had Kash ever communicated with the president on any matters involving Ukraine. Kash never supplied any Ukraine "materials" to the president.' 

October 30 is the date of the second Politico story featuring Patel.  

The real boogeyman in the suit is Schiff. 

The California Democrat is described as 'a demagogue with an ax to grind against the president,' who is interviewing witnesses 'to create click-bait headlines and soundbitse to feed to his co-conspirators and media sympathizers.'   

Patel is a former aide of California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, who's the top GOP lawmaker on Schiff's committee. 

In her October 30 story, Bertrand wrote that Vindman, a decorated Army officer in charge of Ukraine policy, told lawmakers he was kept out of a meeting with Trump 'at the last second' after returning from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s inauguration in May because it might confuse the president. 

Trump, according to Vindman, was under the impression that Patel was the NSC's top Ukraine guy, even though Patel had no experience or expertise.     

Vindman testified that he was told by Hill and then National Security Advisor John Bolton that it would be best if he sat the meeting out in order to aviod 'an uncomfortable situation.' 

Since Vindman's testimony wasn't made public until November 8, Bertrand relied heavily on anonymous sourcing. 

'It's crazy,' one person familiar with the testimony told Politico. 'Vindman should have been in that meeting.' 

OFFICIALS TESTIFYING IN PUBLIC THIS WEEK 

TUESDAY

Jennifer Williams: A State Department staffer detailed to VP Pence who was on the July 25 phone call and said it was 'unusual' for the Bidens to be mentioned

Alexander Vindman: The top Ukraine expert on the NSC; he was on the July 25 call and expressed his concerns about it to NSC lawyers

Kurt Volker: the former special envoy to the Ukraine whose text messages revealed a shadow foreign policy

Tim Morrison: an NSC official who told lawmakers Gordon Sondland acted at President Trump's direction

WEDNESDAY

Gordon Sondland: the EU ambassador who ran a shadow foreign policy in Ukraine with Rudy Giuliani and Rick Perry

Laura Cooper: a Pentagon official who testified about the hold put on U.S. money to the Ukraine

David Hale: a State Department official who testified about efforts to recall then-Ukraine ambassador Marie Yovanovitch

THURSDAY

Fiona Hill: John Bolton's former deputy at NSC who took her concerns about Sondland's action in the Ukraine to the NSC's lawyers