Kash Patel Joins Locker-Room Revelry After U.S. Olympic Hockey Win as FBI Faces Multiple Crises
FBI Director kash patel was captured in a locker-room celebration in Milan after the American men’s hockey team’s 2-1 gold-medal victory over Canada, an appearance that has drawn scrutiny as the bureau contends with a separate security incident at Mar-a-Lago and other urgent matters. The timing matters because those events — a shooting at the president’s Florida residence, cartel-related violence in Mexico and a high-profile missing-person search — all unfolded while Patel was attending the Winter Games.
Kash Patel in Milan locker room
A video posted online by ProPublica reporter William Turton, who said it was sent to him by "a source, " shows Patel in the Milan locker room after the United States beat Canada 2-1 in the Olympic final. The footage, which was verified by NBC News, depicts Patel downing a beer, spraying the remainder over team members, banging on a table, being awarded a gold medal by someone in the room and then jumping and shouting along with the players.
American men’s hockey team gold
The victory in Milan-Cortina ended a 46-year drought for the United States men’s hockey program; the last Olympic gold had come in 1980. Team members celebrated a historic finish, and the footage shows the crowd in the locker room joining in chants, at one point including lyrics from the song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue, " by the late Toby Keith.
Mar-a-Lago shooting and other probes
The locker-room scenes occurred as the FBI was managing multiple urgent issues at home. The Secret Service shot and killed an armed man who entered President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, an incident that was later described as having occurred while Trump was in the White House rather than in Florida. At the same time, violence erupted in Mexico after that country’s army killed its most wanted drug lord, and investigators continued a weekslong search for Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of a national morning-show co-host.
Criticism from Xochitl Hinojosa and Michael Feinberg
Patel’s presence in the locker room prompted sharp public reaction. Xochitl Hinojosa, a spokeswoman for former Attorney General Merrick Garland, wrote that there were significant security concerns — including the Mar-a-Lago intruder, threats to Americans in Mexico and the ongoing search for Nancy Guthrie — and questioned whether the FBI director’s behavior was appropriate in that context. Former FBI Special Agent Michael Feinberg wrote that agents are taught at Quantico that they always represent the Bureau, and he expressed concern about the optics of Patel’s conduct on the social platform Bluesky.
Milan Joint Operations Center and security engagement
Patel said his trip to Italy was not solely for the Games; he traveled to meet Italian law enforcement counterparts and American agencies involved in event security. He posted photographs this week showing a visit to the Milan Joint Operations Center, which he described as charged with protecting the security of American athletes and all those who traveled to Milan for the Winter Games, and a photo of a meeting with the U. S. ambassador to Italy. Protests also erupted in Italy after it became public that U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would play a role in the Games’ security operations.
Patel’s statement and internal concerns
When asked for additional comment by email, the FBI referred inquiries to a statement Patel posted on X. In that message he wrote: "For the very concerned media — yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys- Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth. " Patel also said he was invited to the locker room after the game.
Last year, a dozen current and former FBI and Justice Department NBC News that Patel’s relaxed briefing schedule had raised concerns about whether he was taking the job seriously enough. Meanwhile, Patel has drawn attention for regularly appearing with celebrities at professional sporting events around the country. The combination of those prior concerns and the timing of the Milan appearance has prompted critics to question cause and effect: because Patel was visibly celebrating abroad while multiple domestic security matters demanded attention, observers say the episode may have eroded public confidence in the bureau’s leadership.
