FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly “ripped” into the commander of a SWAT team he tasked with protecting his 27-year-old girlfriend after they left her mid-performance at an NRA convention in Utah.
The incident occurred back in September, shortly after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. According to an article from the Daily Mail, the 45-year-old director assigned an entire SWAT team to provide extra protection for his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins.
As well as the SWAT team, Patel assigned “elite FBI agents” to watch over his girlfriend. Current and former FBI officials argued that the level of taxpayer-funded protection Wilkins was given was “highly unusual.” Girlfriends and spouses do not typically revive such a high level of protection.
The SWAT team ditches Alexis Wilkins
The tactical division that Patel had assigned had been working long hours following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Despite the team being ordered by Patel to provide protection anyway, the team allegedly determined that there were no threats to Wilkins’ safety and therefore decided to withdraw from the event early.
Many have argued that Patel’s actions were overboard for the level of threats Wilkins would likely face. The regular level of protection would have likely been more than enough, and it seems the SWAT team shared that sentiment. However, this didn’t prevent Patel from having a meltdown over the incident afterwards.
Kash Patel is furious
Upon discovering that the team had left the event early, Patel was reportedly outraged. He had some harsh words for the commander and labeled the agents’ dismissal as “a failure of the chain of command.” But was the SWAT team really to blame when Patel clearly misused his power?
As already mentioned, the level of protection Patel placed over his girlfriend has already been called excessive, but some would argue it’s even worse. Christopher O’Leary, a former senior FBI agent, told MS Now that “this is a clear abuse of position and misuse of government resources,” as Wilkins isn’t his spouse and doesn’t even live in the same house or city as Patel.
O’Leary went on to state that Patel’s assignment of these agents is “indicative of his lack of leadership experience, judgment and humility.” Patel clearly isn’t cut put for this job.
Patel’s use of taxpayer-funded resources to give additional protection to Wilkins isn’t standard procedure. On top of that, agents were supposedly given little notice before being dispatched to protect the singer. It was also unclear whether they would be afforded protection against civil liability in case they needed to use deadly force.
While Patel may be angry at the SWAT team for not following his orders, others, even some within his own party, have criticized him for using taxpayers’ money to give more protection than necessary to someone who isn’t even his spouse.
