FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to the Olympics in Italy at taxpayer expense and celebrated with the gold-medal-winning hockey team as Americans dealt with international crime, violent threats, and the possibility of war.
Patel was recorded on Sunday chugging beers with the hockey team as part of the celebration of their gold medal win against Canada. During a celebratory phone call with President Donald Trump, Trump tasked Patel with transporting the team to Washington to attend his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
After a video of the moment circulated on social media, Patel pushed out a defensive post about his behavior.
“For the very concerned media - yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys- Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth,” he wrote.
Earlier in the day as he hung out at the Olympic Games, Patel had posted a message in his official capacity about the alleged would-be shooter that was intercepted on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Patel’s party trip not only coincided with the shooter’s apprehension, but also as global tensions are increasing because Trump has been threatening military action against Iran. Such an attack could lead to violence against U.S. citizens via retaliation in the form of terrorism or other means.
Similarly, as Patel was enjoying himself watching the Olympics, Americans living in Mexico were being warned by the federal government to shelter in place in response to increased drug gang violence after the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel was killed by the Mexican army.
And, of course, Nancy Guthrie's abductor has yet to be apprehended.
Patel’s trip was already under criticism for the luxury nature of the FBI director’s travel. After reports emerged of the use of taxpayer-funded jet travel for these purposes, the Trump administration lashed out at reporters.
On Thursday, FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson insisted that Patel’s trip to Italy was part of his official duties.
“No, it’s not a personal trip. Director Patel is on a trip that was planned months ago. It includes: partner meetings with Italian law enforcement and security officials (they invited the Director last July), meeting with Ambassador Fertitta (as a follow up to our law enforcement roundtable he hosted in January), meetings with Legal staff, and more,” he wrote on X.
Williamson apparently didn’t realize that his boss would soon be recorded smashing beers in a locker room, undermining his attempt at spin.
Back when he was a civilian in 2023, Patel criticized then-FBI Director Christopher Wray for using “a government-funded G5 jet to go to vacations” and suggested grounding the plane. But after being appointed by Trump and securing approval by the Senate Republican majority, Patel has clearly dropped his concerns about the use of federal resources for personal travel.
In fact, in addition to his Olympic trip, Patel has been using a Gulfstream to fly to work while also enlisting FBI agents to ferry his girlfriend around.
The hockey party is just the latest in a year filled with Patel bumbling through his position. But the writing was on the wall about how he would handle the job before he was even officially sworn in.
Patel is a right-wing conspiracy theorist, who spent years publicly attracting Trump detractors and pushing myths and falsehoods related to Trump. His qualification to lead the FBI was loyalty to Trump and his dedication to writing pro-Trump fan fiction—not in law enforcement.
Using taxpayer resources for a beer-soaked international party merely confirms the worst fears about putting Patel in such an important position.
No comments:
Post a Comment