The new whistleblower allegations have raised questions about whether FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of the agency’s aircraft delayed the bureau’s response to major crime scenes, including the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the mass shooting at Brown University.Documents released by Senator Dick Durbin on Tuesday allege that Kash Patel’s regular use of FBI aircraft means response teams cannot travel quickly when needed. Durbin said “credible whistleblowers” raised concerns that the director’s travel choices conflicted with FBI operations.
Kash Patel and Pam Bondi land in new Epstein problem as DOJ deletes their records | “Very worrying”
Durbin said in a statement that the documents were turned over to the committee after Patel used an FBI plane to fly to Milan over the weekend.
Patel went there to meet with American employees helping with Olympic security and attended the men’s hockey final, which the United States won 2-1 in overtime.“Since his confirmation as FBI Director, Kash Patel appears to have engaged in what amounts to irresponsible piloting on aircraft operated by the Department of Justice and the FBI at the expense of American taxpayers and at the expense of the FBI’s ongoing operations,” Durbin said.
According to a letter sent by Durbin on Tuesday, Patel’s use of one of two aircraft available to the FBI impacted the bureau’s Evidence Response Team in December. Patel used one plane to fly to South Florida and reserved the other for a team that was not normally needed in the Brown University mass shooting, the whistleblower said. For this reason, the evidence response team did not have suitable transportation.The letter also said another team was delayed by a day in arriving at the scene of Charlie Kirk’s assassination last year “due to a shortage of office aircraft and a shortage of pilots due to the Director’s personal flights.”“The information provided by credible whistleblowers makes clear that the Director’s misuse and mismanagement of these aircraft is not only a problem for taxpayers, but is materially detrimental to the mission of the very agency he is sworn to lead,” Durbin wrote.FBI spokesman Ben Williamson rejected the allegations. He said Patel ensures that aircraft are available when needed. “If the manager is out of town, he always offers to fly if necessary anyway — and he did that here,” Williamson said.
“It was not needed,” he added.An FBI official told MSNOW that Patel was using the plane in December to visit his elderly parents. Property records reviewed by the outlet showed that his parents live in South Florida.Patel has faced scrutiny over his travels since taking office, including trips to visit his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins.“Kash Patel went to hang out at the Olympics at taxpayer expense. It’s an irresponsible trip and a complete waste of our money. He should compensate you. I’m investigating,” Durbin wrote on social media.
