WASHINGTON (CN) - House Democrats prodded FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday for information on his use of government aircraft amid reports that the top law enforcement official has used the agency's multimillion-dollar private jets for personal travel.
The move comes as the FBI director is facing mounting scrutiny for his leadership of the agency following a bombshell report that described federal law enforcement under the second Trump administration as a "rudderless ship."
In a letter to Patel, Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin and California Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove pointed to media reports that the FBI chief used a government jet to attend a wrestling match at Pennsylvania State University, where his girlfriend - country singer Alexis Wilkins - performed the national anthem. They also cited separate reports that Patel flew on an FBI aircraft to Texas hunting resort Boondoggle Ranch and that he took a group of friends on a golfing trip to Scotland.
"Why should American taxpayers be footing the bill for private jets every time you decide to hang out with your golf buddies, see your girlfriend, or go to your 'boondoggle' escape?" the lawmakers wrote.
Raskin and Kamlager-Dove also skewered Patel for reports that he fired FBI special agent Steven Palmer, head of the agency's Critical Incident Response Group, after news broke about the trips. Bloomberg reported last month that the director's move to oust Palmer was at least partially connected to his anger over reports that he'd used an agency jet to visit his girlfriend.
Palmer was the third head of the FBI's incident response group, which also oversees agency aviation operations, to be fired by Patel.
The House Democrats pointed out that while the Critical Incident Response Group was "rocked and buffeted" by the firing of its third leader, Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport was subjected to bomb threats, which grounded flights in the nation's capital. They suggested that Palmer's "whimsical" removal made it difficult for the FBI's crisis response wing to react.
"Like the women and men of the FBI who serve their country with integrity, commitment and - in many cases - worked without pay during the GOP shutdown, we are baffled and outraged by your repeated shameless and brazen abuse of your position as FBI director," Raskin and Kamlager-Dove told Patel. "This alone is a fireable offense."
Pointing to federal regulations, the pair of lawmakers added that Patel is required to reimburse the government for "non-official" travel and provide public information about non-government officials who travel on agency aircraft. And they demanded that the FBI director turn over all records related to such travel on Justice Department or FBI-owned planes during the second Trump administration.
The Democrats also requested that Patel explain why each passenger was aboard an FBI jet and all communications related to their travel.
"Mr. Patel, these planes are not yours," wrote Raskin and Kamlager-Dove. "They are the property of the U.S. Government and are paid for by the American people. You have come to embody the corruption the American people despise."
The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment. But Patel has previously slammed reports about his private jet travel, branding them "baseless rumors" and "noise from uninformed internet anarchists" in a Nov. 2 post on X.
The FBI director dialed in on what he called "baseless attacks" on his girlfriend, Wilkins. "She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in 10 lifetimes," he said. "Attacking her isn't just wrong - it's cowardly and jeopardizes our safety."
Patel, however, did not directly address his travel or his move to fire Palmer in the social media post. In 2023, the then-podcast host criticized former FBI Director Christopher Wray for using private jets to "hop around the country" on taxpayer dollars.
Democrats' pressure on the FBI chief comes as the New York Post published a 115-page report from current and former agents who determined that Patel is "in over his head" as the country's top federal law enforcement official. The report described the FBI director and deputy director, Dan Bongino, as inexperienced and obsessed with social media, and the agents criticized Patel in particular for his handling of the investigation into the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk in September.
The White House, meanwhile, has denied rumors that President Donald Trump is considering firing Patel.
Source: Courthouse News Service
