Kash Patel Olympics Celebration Draws Fresh Scrutiny of FBI Director's Travel
FBI Director Kash Patel defended his trip to the Winter Games after footage of him celebrating with the U. S. men's hockey team in Milan prompted criticism. The kash patel olympics locker-room moment came as the FBI was juggling multiple investigations and faced renewed questions about the director's use of government travel.
Locker room: Kash Patel Olympics celebration in Milan
Video from the team’s locker room on Sunday showed Patel drinking a beer, spraying the remainder around players and joining them as they jumped up and down after the U. S. men’s hockey team beat Canada to win the gold medal — the country’s first Olympic gold in the sport since 1980. One player draped his gold medal around Patel’s neck as he celebrated with the roster.
Social posts and immediate defense
Patel posted on X that he was "extremely humbled" to be with the "newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA" and wrote, "Yes, I love America" while saying friends on the team had invited him into the locker room to celebrate the moment. He also told what he called "very concerned media" that he was humbled by the invitation. The White House communications director, Steven Cheung, posted on X that Patel was meeting regional partners and security teams in Italy and added, "don't be mad because America won. "
Mar-a-Lago breach and FBI resource allocation
Shortly before the locker-room celebration, Patel had posted on X that the FBI was "dedicating all necessary resources" to investigate how an armed man tried to enter President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The alleged intruder was fatally shot by U. S. Secret Service agents after breaching the resort’s secure perimeter. That investigation was under way as Patel was present in Milan, prompting critics to question priorities and timing.
Flight records: Joint Base Andrews to an Air Force base in Italy
Public flight data show Patel flew on a government plane last Thursday from Joint Base Andrews near Washington, D. C., to a U. S. Air Force base in Italy. The FBI denied last week that the trip was personal and said it had been planned months in advance, noting the agency plays a major role in Olympic security and that Patel met with Italian law enforcement officials and the U. S. ambassador to Italy.
Reactions from lawmakers, former officials and the public
Critics seized on the footage and travel history. Colorado Democratic Congressman Jason Crow posted on X, "The grift & corruption is unreal. Your taxpayer dollars funding the FBI Director's Italian vacation. " Former Justice Department spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa wrote on X that "our FBI Director thinks he's a frat bro. " For supporters, the scene read as a patriotic show of support for a historic team victory.
History of travel scrutiny, Gulfstream G550 and past trips
The episode revived scrutiny of Patel’s use of FBI aircraft. Officials have questioned flights on the agency’s Gulfstream G550 that lack a clear law enforcement purpose. Last November Patel reportedly flew on an FBI plane to Pennsylvania to see his country-music singer girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, perform. Earlier reporting identified an October trip to State College, Pennsylvania, for a pro wrestling event where Wilkins sang the national anthem; photos posted by Wilkins showed the couple side-by-side, smiling, with her holding an oversized golden championship belt. Congressional Democrats said in December they were investigating reports that Patel had used an FBI jet for travel to a hunting resort in Texas and for a golfing trip in Scotland. Patel has previously criticized his predecessor, Christopher Wray, over use of the agency jet.
Other pressures on DOJ and the FBI
Patel’s Milan visit took place amid broader demands on the Department of Justice, under which the FBI is the main investigative body. The FBI is also assisting in the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of NBC anchor Savannah Guthrie, who has been missing for more than three weeks. Separately, the U. S. Department of State issued a shelter-in-place warning on Sunday for American citizens in parts of Mexico after unrest that followed local authorities killing a drug cartel leader.
What makes this notable is the convergence of a highly public celebratory moment, visible travel on a government aircraft and simultaneous national-security and investigatory obligations — a combination that has hardened partisan responses and prompted further oversight inquiries.
