Kash Patel suggests his defamation case against The Atlantic is a “legal lay up.” It’s not.

Donald Trump’s FBI director is suing over a critical article. He has a tough legal standard to meet.

Before he filed his defamation lawsuit on Monday against The Atlantic, FBI Director Kash Patel said he had a claim that “some would call a legal lay up.”

It’s unclear who would call it that. But in any event, it’s unlikely that Patel will have as easy a time in court as he suggested.

His suit stems from a damning report published Friday that was written by Sarah Fitzpatrick. She is also named as a defendant in Patel’s complaint, which describes the report as a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece.”