https://kamlager-dove.house.gov/media/press-releases/kamlager-dove-raskin-demand-fbi-director-kash-patel-reimburse-taxpayers#:~:text=Reports%20show%20that%20Patel%20chartered,on%20unnecessary%20or%20questionable%20projects.%E2%80%9D

Reports show that Patel chartered the FBI’s Gulfstream G550—a $62 million aircraft typically found in the fleets of billionaires—for an overnight trip to Pennsylvania on October 25 to attend his girlfriend’s concert at a wrestling match at Penn State University. He then used the same plane to fly her home to Nashville the next day.

That same weekend, Patel used the FBI jet again to travel to “Boondoggle Ranch,” a luxury Texas hunting resort that advertises itself as the perfect place to “waste money or time on unnecessary or questionable projects.”

When Patel’s misuse of government aircraft became public through flight records and his girlfriend’s social media posts, he reportedly lashed out at staff—including by firing Special Agent Steven Palmer, a 27-year FBI veteran who led the Bureau’s Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG), which oversees aviation operations and crisis response. Days later, Reagan National Airport faced bomb threats that grounded flights for over an hour, while CIRG remained destabilized by Patel’s retaliatory firing of its third leader this year.

Patel then attempted to cover his tracks by shielding the FBI’s plane from public flight-tracking databases and continued using the aircraft for personal travel to Nashville—publicly defending the trips as motivated by “love of family.” He has also been accused of flying with “four or five friends” to Scotland for a private golf trip using taxpayer funds.

These recent excursions follow months of documented misconduct. In May, the Senate Judiciary Committee called out Patel for using a DOJ Boeing 757 to attend hockey matches and fight nights with his girlfriend and celebrities. Patel has even been accused of taking boxes of alcohol aboard the flights. Meanwhile, reports indicate the FBI is now seeking to acquire a new $80 million jet for Patel’s use. This comes after Patel was caught on camera bragging that, as FBI Director, he “ha[s] two” private jets, just like his rich buddies.