Kash Patel Olympics celebration draws fresh criticism after locker-room footage
FBI Director Kash Patel defended his Winter Olympics trip after footage of him celebrating with the U. S. men's hockey team in a Milan locker room drew online criticism, a moment that arrived as the FBI handled a separate security probe at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
Locker-room scenes and social posts
Video circulating online showed Patel drinking a beer and cheering with players on Sunday after the men's team beat Canada in Milan, and one player draped a gold medal around his neck as he joined them jumping up and down. Patel posted on X that he was "extremely humbled" to be with the men's team following their victory, and later wrote on social 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. "
Kash Patel Olympics: what he says and how officials responded
Patel told "very concerned media" in a post on X that he was "extremely humbled" by the invitation to celebrate with the team. The FBI said the trip had been planned months ago and that the agency had a major role in Olympic security, including meetings Patel held with Italian law enforcement officials and the U. S. ambassador to Italy. A White House communications director posted on X that "Kash was also in Italy meeting with regional partners and security teams" and told a reporter, "don't be mad because America won. "
Timing amid other high-profile investigations
The locker-room celebration came shortly after Patel posted on X that the FBI was "dedicating all necessary resources" to investigate how an armed man tried to enter Mar-a-Lago; U. S. Secret Service agents fatally shot the alleged intruder. The episode unfolded while the FBI is also helping in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie, who has been missing for more than three weeks.
Flight records, past trips and partisan reaction
Public flight data showed Patel took a government plane last Thursday from Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D. C., to a U. S. Air Force base in Italy. Critics pointed to his past use of FBI jets: last November he reportedly used the FBI's plane to fly to Pennsylvania to see his country music star girlfriend Alexis Wilkins perform, and congressional Democrats said in December they were investigating reports that Patel flew on an FBI jet to a hunting resort in Texas and on a golfing trip in Scotland. Patel once criticized his predecessor, Christopher Wray, for using the agency's jet for personal travel.
Reactions from lawmakers and former officials
Reaction on X was swift. Congressman Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, posted that "The grift & corruption is unreal" and wrote, "Your taxpayer dollars funding the FBI Director's Italian vacation. " He also described the trip as "grift and corruption. " Xochitl Hinojosa, a former Justice Department spokeswoman under President Biden, posted on X that "our FBI Director thinks he's a frat bro. "
How supporters framed the moment
Supporters viewed Patel's appearance as a show of support for the medal-winning team, while the FBI maintained the trip had professional elements in the days leading up to the game, with a spokesman noting Patel posted work-related photographs of meetings with European security officials. Videos showed Patel, described as a hockey fan, drinking beer from a bottle and spraying the remainder around the locker room during the celebration.
Congressional Democrats said in December they were investigating reports of Patel's previous flights on the FBI jet to a hunting resort in Texas and a golfing trip in Scotland, and those inquiries remain the next confirmed oversight actions noted in the context of his recent travel.
