FBI Director Kash Patel has taken an agency jet to Italy, where he has plans to hold official meetings and watch Olympic hockey games, CBS News first reported.
Patel reportedly took off Thursday morning and landed in Italy hours later. He’s expected to attend meetings with law enforcement officials and watch the men’s USA Olympic hockey team compete in Milan, sources told CBS News.
FBI directors must use government planes for both personal and official travel to ensure they maintain access to secure communications and can move quickly in an emergency, according to CBS News. They’re also required to reimburse the government for personal flights.
Ben Williamson, the FBI’s assistant director for public affairs, responded to the CBS News report in a post on X: “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 Legat staff, and more,” Williamson wrote.
“The FBI also has a major role in Olympic security - as we do with the World Cup, F1, and more - so we have a U.S. consulate briefing on Olympic security and current FBI posture, as well as thanking FBI personnel on the ground,” he continued.
In a follow-up post, Williamson added: “Kash just called me and told me to add ‘Please tell them yes, I am rooting for the greatest team on earth from the greatest country on earth.’”
When reached for comment, the FBI referred The Independent to Williamson’s statement on X.
Patel has previously faced scrutiny for his use of government jets.
Late last year, top Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee said they were “demanding answers” after reports emerged that Patel had used government jets for “personal travel,” including a “date night” with his girlfriend, country musician Alexis Wilkins.
When Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked Patel about these reports in December, he was quick to defend himself.
“It’s simple,” Patel said. “The FBI director — all FBI directors — are required users of the FBI plane. They don’t let me fly commercially. But my predecessors wasted millions of dollars because they were too lazy to drive an extra 20 minutes and go to Andrews Air Force Base.”
“They used D.C. Reagan National as a personal hub, costing the taxpayers $4 million. I shut that policy off and mandated the use of government airfields,” he added.
It was also revealed in November that Patel’s girlfriend receives protection from a security detail.
“Ms. Wilkins is receiving a protective detail because she has faced hundreds of credible death threats related to her relationship with Director Patel, whom she has been dating for three years. Out of respect for her safety, we will not be providing additional details,” an FBI spokesperson told MS NOW.
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