Patel’s appearance at USA Men’s Hockey Celebration renews scrutiny of FBI director’s travels

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the U.S. men’s hockey team retreated to the locker room to celebrate its gold medal win at the Winter Olympics, they were joined by a special guest from the United States: FBI Director Kash Patel.

Read more: The U.S. men’s hockey team beat Canada in overtime to win its first Olympic gold medal since 1980

For some supporters of the embattled law enforcement official, it was a patriotic and kind show of support for a team taking home the sport’s first gold medal since 1980. For Patel’s critics, it was another questionable use of government resources by an FBI chief already facing scrutiny over his personal flights on a government plane.

An FBI spokesperson said in the days before the game that Patel’s trip to Milan during the Olympics was primarily for professional purposes, with the director posting on social media work-related photos of his meetings with European security officials. But the trip took a more hilarious turn on Sunday when videos circulating online showed Patel, a hockey fan, drinking beer from a bottle and spraying the rest all over the locker room. After one player wrapped his gold medal around Patel’s neck, he joined the players as they jumped up and down in celebration.

The episode deepened questions about Patel’s personal travels, a continuing story from the first year of his term, not only because of its repetition but also because he rebuked his predecessor, Chris Wray, for using an FBI plane. In this case, the Olympics were celebrated while FBI officials were investigating an armed man who was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service after he breached the secure perimeter of President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

“The fraud and corruption is unreal. Your taxpayer money is funding the FBI director’s vacation in Italy,” Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado said on X’s website.

Patel responded to the criticism by posting on his personal

The White House expressed its support for Patel, with Communications Director Stephen Cheung writing on Channel

A constant source of cash

Patel is not the only figure in the Trump administration facing questions about his use of government resources, with congressional Democrats also demanding answers from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about her department’s contract for upgraded aircraft.

But the FBI in particular has had difficulties responding to questions about Patel’s flights on the government’s Gulfstream G550 plane for flights around the country that had no known or clear law enforcement purpose. One example came in October when it emerged that Patel had traveled to State College, Pennsylvania, to attend a professional wrestling event, where his longtime girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, performed the national anthem. Photos posted by Wilkins on social media show the pair side-by-side and smiling at the camera as she holds an oversized gold championship belt.

Those trips came even though Patel, as a bombastic podcaster during the Biden administration, repeatedly criticized Wray for using an FBI plane for personal trips and even suggested grounding the plane.

“I’m just saying Chris Wray doesn’t need a government-funded G5 plane to go on vacations. Maybe we could park that plane. $15,000 every time it takes off. Just an idea,” Patel said in one audio interview.

FBI spokesman Ben Williamson defended Patel, noting that he is required for security reasons to use the bureau’s plane even for personal trips and constantly reimburses the government for private trips.

“Cash himself has done significantly limited personal travel — but is allowed to take personal time on occasion to see family, friends, or his old girlfriend. He doesn’t do it very often,” Williamson posted to X in November. “He works a lot more weekends than he does otherwise. And perhaps most importantly – ask anyone who works for him, he’s on duty 24/7 regardless.”

However, it has long been a sensitive issue for the FBI and the Department of Justice. For example, last year the department’s inspector general criticized a since-retired FBI assistant director for taking government-paid trips to official “bucket list” countries — a trip that the watchdog said included some professional meetings but also included stays at beach resorts for days.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton fired then-FBI Director William Sessions after a scathing report that claimed he “misused government travel for personal purposes.”

For his part, Patel has said he adheres to all policies, saying in a radio interview in December that he travels “according to the rules that Congress, the Department of Justice, and the FBI have established over the past 20 years.”

Loud celebration

The latest altercation began last week with media coverage indicating that Battle would be in Italy in the final days of the Olympics.

Williamson responded to the reports by saying on social media that the trip was not personal in nature, had been planned months in advance, would include meetings with a wide range of officials, and was consistent with the FBI’s “key role” in Olympic security.

Immediately upon his arrival in Italy, Patel posted photos of his visit to the Joint Operations Center in Milan, which he said was charged with protecting the security of American athletes and everyone who traveled to Milan to attend the Winter Games. He also posted a photo of his meeting with the US ambassador to Italy.

He was in Italy on Sunday while the FBI in the United States investigated the break-in at Mar-a-Lago and continued its search for Nancy Guthrie, who was kidnapped from her home in Arizona weeks ago. Other concerns facing US officials that day included the outbreak of violence in Mexico and the possibility of the Trump administration launching an attack on Iran.

While the hockey game was still underway, Patel posted on X that the FBI was committing all necessary resources to the Mar-a-Lago investigation.

Later in the day, videos emerged showing the FBI director, wearing a long-sleeved white USA T-shirt, participating in a ceremonial locker room celebration and holding a cell phone as Trump spoke to the animated team. Meanwhile, Patel posted on his X account photos of himself with the team, including one showing him holding the American flag and another in the locker room.

By Monday, he resumed more of his usual work-related content, sharing social media posts about declining crime numbers.

Associated Press writers Jim Mustan and Michael Biesecker contributed to this report.