Embattled FBI director Kash Patel has denied under oath recent allegations of excessive drinking and unexplained absences on the job, dismissing them as “baseless” during a fiery congressional hearing. Democrats challenged him over the “extremely alarming” reports, first reported in the Atlantic mid-April, which they argued would a mount to a “gross dereliction” of duty. The FBI director has sued the magazine , and the author of a story it published , filing a defamation lawsuit in US district court for the District of Columbia that seeks $250m in damages. In his opening remarks, Chris Van Hollen, ranking member of the Senate appropriations committee, said: “What we are learning about what’s happening at the FBI is anything but normal.…