'Ka$h' on the rocks: FBI Director Patel hands out personalised bourbon bottles to staff

According to reports from The Atlantic and subsequent confirmations by current and former Department of Justice employees, Patel has been distributing custom-engraved bottles of Woodford Reserve to both FBI staff and civilians he encounters during his official duties.

The 'Ka$h' signature

The bottles are reportedly engraved with the words "Kash Patel FBI Director" alongside a rendering of the FBI shield. In a move that has raised eyebrows among bureau traditionalists, the shield is encircled by text featuring Patel’s preferred stylised spelling of his name: "Ka$h."

Some versions of the bottles also include Patel's personal signature and the notation "#9," a reference to his position as the ninth director in the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

More from World

While J Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI, famously gave out souvenir fingerprint cards, Patel’s penchant for merchandise, which includes "Government Gangsters" playing cards and camo hoodies sold on his personal website, has led to concerns about the "merchandising" of the nation’s top law enforcement agency.

This comes at a particularly tense time for Patel.

The Director is currently embroiled in a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic following a report alleging that his alcohol consumption has led to unexplained absences and erratic behaviour.

The FBI has officially denied that any "insider threat" investigation has been opened into the journalists who broke the story, though many within the bureau claim internal unease is at an all-time high.