Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, just got rocked. Even despite all that, recent revelations are coming to light of how he abused a government jet for personal use. The pressure intensified last month after he was spotted on an official date night with country music singer Alexis Wilkins. She had just finished singing the national anthem at a Real American Freestyle wrestling competition. Things came to a head with the stunning firing of FBI critical incident response group chief Steven Palmer. His sudden announcement came as a shock and added to the combustible situation.
The public learned about Patel’s flight activities through ongoing reporting from Kyle Seraphin, a former FBI agent turned whistleblower. Seraphin garnered widespread attention for his detailing of Patel’s use of a government jet to make personal outings, raising questions about the misuse of federal resources. Ben Williamson, a spokesman for Patel, defended the director’s record. In his defense, he claimed that it was fully legal to use government aircraft.
“I don’t believe that there’s anything illegal about any of the activity they were doing.” – Amir Makled
Palmer’s dismissal marks a significant change in the leadership of the FBI’s critical incident response group, which oversees the agency’s fleet of jets. His departure represents the third head-of-unit change in this specialized unit since Patel was sworn in in February. Wes Wheeler, who stepped in to fill the vacancy in March, was ousted at his own board meeting in March, soon to be followed by Brian Driscoll-March Out, August In. Driscoll is currently suing the Trump administration, contending that his firing was wrongful and retaliatory for disloyalty.
Sources close to the situation expressed surprise at Palmer’s termination, especially considering Patel’s publicly available flight schedules. All three people who spoke on condition of anonymity said that kind of transparency would have prevented any surprise about how the agency is currently operating. Critics call this a blatant double standard. In particular, they point to the fact that Patel had in recent months himself criticized former FBI director Chris Wray for using government jets for personal use.
In written testimony submitted to the committee, Williamson vigorously defended Patel. He noted that Patel’s travel has been severely limited, unlike his predecessors, Chris Wray and James Comey. This statement sheds new light on Patel’s extravagant use of the jet. It situates this action within a larger narrative about accountability and good stewardship of our resources.
While the controversy over Palmer’s dismissal continues to play out, Patel has remained silent about Bloomberg’s report that Palmer was fired. The lack of response raises questions about internal dynamics within the FBI and how leadership decisions are being made under Patel’s direction.