Kash Patel Goes to Milan for Photo Opportunity and Image Refresh on Govt Dime
Patel had already come under scrutiny after reports that he flew to watch the 2026 Winter Olympic Games on a Justice Department jet. Spokesperson Ben Williamson later defended the use of the plane in a post on X. “No, it’s not a personal trip. Director Patel is on a trip that was planned months ago” that includes meetings with Italian law enforcement and officials and managing the F.B.I.’s “major role in Olympic security, Williamson said.
In December, congressional Democrats launched a probe into Patel’s use of government resources seemingly for personal reasons, including reports that he used a private F.B.I. plane to travel to Pennsylvania to watch his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at a wrestling match. According to Bloomberg Law, a senior official overseeing aviation was forced out of the bureau shortly after the revelations, although Patel’s flight schedule is publicly available.
In a November post on X after reports of his trip to the wrestling event, Patel said, “Let me be clear: we will not be distracted by baseless rumors or the noise from uninformed internet anarchists and the fake news. … I and this FBI will stay laser-focused on our mission and continue the reform we promised — rebuilding this Bureau from the ground up.”
Democrats also accused Patel of using the government plane for a “date night” in Tennessee, to a private hunting in Texas, and to a golf resort in Scotland, as well as of taking steps to hide the F.B.I. plane from open-source flight tracker Flight Aware. The bureau director has also been criticized for ordering a new fleet of BMWs, which the agency said saved on costs, and providing SWAT team protection for his girlfriend.
Posted Feb 23, 2026, 6:02 AM UTC