Kash Patel parties with Team USA hockey champs after taking FBI jet to Italy as aide defends ‘official business’ trip

Patel celebrates in the locker room after coming under fierce scrutiny over his personal trips on government jets

FBI Director Kash Patel is once again under fire for his use of official FBI resources for travel as he appeared in widely shared video chugging beer and partying alongside gold medal-winning members of Team USA hockey on Sunday at the Olympics in Milano Cortina.

The FBI chief has was previously accused of using federal government resources to take “extravagant” trips with his girlfriend, allegedly earning him the derisive nickname “Make-a-Wish Director” behind closed doors.

But on Sunday he posted photos of himself grinning alongside members of the men’s hockey team mere hours after a spokesperson for his agency blasted the mere suggestion that Patel had used government resources for a personal vacation.

He was also captured celebrating in the locker room on team member Dylan Larkin’s Instagram Live. Other footage obtained appears to show Patel chugging a bottle of beer and screaming in celebration as player put a gold medal around his neck.

It’s an awkward look for the director, whose agency is already battling perceptions that he is unqualified for the job and unserious with his management of the agency and use of its resources.

FBI Director Kash Patel celebrated with the US men's hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Italy after the team defeated Canada to take home a gold medal (Kash Patel/X)

In posts to X over the weekend during his trip to Italy, the FBI director highlighted visits with various officials including Italian ministers, including one announcing a new security agreement to enhance international cybersecurity cooperation.

And just moments before he was seen in footage alongside the victorious Team USA members, Patel posted a statement on X stating that the FBI is deploying “all necessary resources” to Mar-a-Lago, where Secret Service agents fatally shot a 21-year-old man accused of trying to break into Donald Trump’s residence.

A FBI spokesperson on Saturday issued a fiery statement when asked by MS NOW reporter Ken Dilanian whether Patel’s trip would include a personal excursion to watch the Olympics.

“Your rag outlet wrote that he went to hang out at the Olympics on the taxpayer dime — even when provided information that your theory was false,” wrote FBI assistant director for public affairs Ben Williamson.

“When you’re ready to correct that let me know. Won’t hold my breath,” he said.

But it wasn’t clear whether Patel’s presence was necessary at the joint operations center, and on Sunday, Patel was seen among the crowd watching the games and enjoying a less-than-official agenda for the day.

Patel was seen among the crowd watching the US and Canada men’s hockey teams on February 22 after the FBI rejected the idea that the director’s trip to Italy included personal travel (Getty Images)

On social media, Dilanian posted Larkin’s locker-room footage of Patel, throwing up a “hang loose” sign and partying with members of Team USA after defeating Canada to take home the gold.

Patel later posted his own photos of the trip, showing the FBI director wearing a Team USA jersey and grinning with champagne-soaked members of the team and their coach after the game.

“Unity, Sacrifice, Attitude — what it takes to be the best in the world,” Patel posted on Sunday on X.

“These men live and breathe it. Now Team USA are gold medal champions, legends standing on the shoulders of giants, he added. “Thank you for representing the greatest country on earth, in the greatest game ever created.”

Last year, Patel was accused of using a government Gulfstream jet for personal use to fly around and see his girlfriend, country music singer Alexis Wilkins

Just two years earlier, Patel — then a podcaster and right-wing influencer — had complained that FBI Director Chris Wray was benefitting from "private jet travel that he pays for with taxpayer dollars to hop around the country.”

Now it’s Patel facing that same accusation and claiming that he uses the plane less than his predecessors, while defending their usage for personal trips. Among the reported excursions, Patel has used the jet for a golfing trip in Scotland as well as to go hunting in Texas, along with “date nights” with Wilkins.

Patel and girlfriend Alexix Wilkins, pictured, have admitted to routinely using government planes for personal trips, and haven’t confirmed they’ve reimbursed the government (Getty Images)

“I’ve also used the airplane less than my prior two predecessors,” Patel told Fox’s Laura Ingraham last year. “And, yes, I’m entitled to a personal life just like my other agency counterparts with their partners. Do I support my girlfriend? Absolutely. And I do take trips with her? Absolutely.”

By law, Patel is required to reimburse the federal government for any use of a private jet or other resources used for his personal travel.

Several Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee wrote to the FBI in December asking for records confirming whether the agency has been reimbursed.

The letter accuses Patel of using a government jet “for an overnight date with your girlfriend, a Scottish golfing excursion with your buddies, and a trip to a luxury hunting retreat called ‘Boondoggle Ranch.’”

“Why should American taxpayers be footing the bill for private jets every time you decide to hang out with your golf buddies, see your girlfriend, or go to your boondoggle escape?” they wrote.

The Independent has requested comment from the FBI.