FBI Director Kash Patel lashed out at the "pathetic reports" that he used a government jet to fly to watch his 26-year-old girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at a wrestling event, saying that "going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace."
Patel insisted the reports were an attempt to smear the “rock-solid conservative” Wilkins, whom he referred to as "a patriot." However, as a community note below his post on X also pointed out, the crux of the scandal is his use of government funds rather than his own to attend Wilkins' performances.
The news of Patel's use of the government jet also comes as news outlets reported that Patel fired a longtime FBI employee who was head of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, which is responsible for managing major security threats and overseeing the agency’s fleet of aircraft.
Patel wrote that he is "proud of the work of this FBI. We’re taking violent criminals off the streets in record numbers, crushing the fentanyl crisis, dismantling cartels, saving children, hunting down terrorists — and so much more." But, he added, "we will not be distracted by baseless rumors or the noise from uninformed internet anarchists and the fake news."
He added:
"I’ve always said — criticize me all you want. But going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace."
"The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis — a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life — are beyond pathetic. She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes. I’m so blessed she’s in my life."
"Attacking her isn’t just wrong — it’s cowardly and jeopardizes our safety. My love of family will always be my cornerstone, and you will never tear that down or keep me from them."
"I and this FBI will stay laser-focused on our mission and continue the reform we promised — rebuilding this Bureau from the ground up. And to our supposed allies staying silent — your silence is louder than the clickbait haters."
You can see his post below.
At no point did Patel address the report, first published by The Bulwark, alleging that he used a government jet to attend his partner’s performance. Nor did he mention reports that Steven Palmer—the FBI veteran he'd fired—was forced out after Patel grew frustrated over the intense media scrutiny.
He was swiftly criticized.
Bloomberg Law, which first reported the story, said three unnamed sources expressed disbelief over Palmer’s dismissal, noting that Patel’s flight schedules were fully public and could easily be tracked online.
Publicly available flight logs from FlightAware show that Patel’s government jet, N708JH, landed near Penn State University on October 25. That same evening, Wilkins performed at a Real American Freestyle wrestling event, and later that night the FBI plane flew to Nashville, where Wilkins lives.
As of Sunday, flight records for N708JH had been blocked from public view on FlightAware. A search for the aircraft now returns a notice saying it is “not available for public tracking per request from the owner/operator.”
