GOP senator worth an estimated $20M complains he can't get past The Atlantic's paywall

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) made a surprising remark on Tuesday during a CNN live broadcast about how he couldn't access an explosive report about FBI Director Kash Patel in The Atlantic, complaining about the publisher's paywall.

CNN anchor Kasie Hunt asked the GOP lawmaker, whose net worth is by some estimates about $20 million, if he had read the report citing accusations from Patel's colleagues who had expressed concerns about the FBI director's alleged alcohol consumption and asked if he was worried about Patel's ability to do his job. Patel this week filed a lawsuit against the publication following the story.

Kennedy's response was surprising, considering the senator earns a base salary of $174,000 per year, according to the Senate's website. The Atlantic's digital subscription is $79.99 per year.

"I don't know if the article is true, Kasie," Kennedy said. "I tried to go read it, but but The Atlantic has, it was The Atlantic, right? They're blocked by [the] paywall. They want something like $250."

Hunt offered to send the Republican her own login for him to access it, but he appeared to disagree with paying for the story.

"Yeah, something like 250 bucks to subscribe. And I'm not going to do that," Kennedy added. "I don't know whether the stuff is true or not. I mean, the director says he's going to sue them for defamation. So we'll find out. I haven't. I've never seen him drunk, if that's your question."