FBI Director Kash Patel is facing new questions on Capitol Hill over how he’s using the bureau’s Gulfstream jet. Top House Judiciary Committee Democrats say some of his flights look a lot more like perks than official business.
Democrats question ‘date night’ and ranch trips
In a new letter first reported by CBS News, Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., say Patel used the FBI’s Gulfstream for a trip to Pennsylvania in October to watch his girlfriend perform at a Penn State wrestling event. They say he then flew her back to Nashville on the government plane the next day.
Patel Letter – House Judiciary (1) by CBSNews.com
The lawmakers write that the outing had “no apparent connection” to Patel’s official duties. They characterize it as a “date night” on the taxpayers’ dime.
They also flag a separate trip to Texas, first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Patel flew on the FBI jet to San Angelo for several days as a guest of GOP mega-donor Bubba Saulsbury at his Boondoggle Ranch hunting property.
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Request for records, but no subpoena power
Raskin and Kamlager-Dove are asking the FBI to hand over detailed travel records, passenger lists and communications related to the flights by Dec. 15. As members of the minority, they can’t subpoena those records on their own, but they’re clearly trying to increase public pressure.
“These planes are not yours,” they wrote. “They are the property of the U.S. Government and are paid for by the American people.”
The FBI has not publicly commented on the new letter.
What the rules actually allow
By policy, FBI directors are required to use government aircraft for both official and personal travel to maintain secure communications and respond quickly to emergencies. They’re allowed to bring family or friends on personal trips. However, they’re supposed to reimburse the government at the equivalent of coach airfare for any non-official travel.
Earlier CBS reporting showed Patel has used the FBI Gulfstream for multiple weekend trips to Las Vegas, where he owns a home, and to Nashville, where his girlfriend lives.
The new letter doesn’t prove Patel broke the rules. Rather, it is essentially asking whether he followed them and who paid what. But it keeps his travel habits, and his relationship with wealthy political donors, under a brighter spotlight.
