FBI Director Kash Patel is under growing criticism from officials within the Trump administration after reports surfaced about his frequent use of the bureau’s jet for personal travel, including a visit to a private hunting resort owned by a Republican donor.
According to a Tuesday report from The Wall Street Journal, the FBI aircraft has made dozens of trips since Patel assumed leadership. The report said Patel has “drawn flak from his bosses” at the Department of Justice and from “underlings” at the FBI for his travel decisions.
Patel reportedly used the bureau’s plane to attend a wrestling event in State College, Pennsylvania, where his girlfriend, a country music singer, was performing. Afterward, he flew to her home in Nashville. Former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin publicized the trip, calling the taxpayer-funded travel during a government shutdown “pathetic.”
That trip took place in late October. The Journal also revealed another previously undisclosed journey to San Angelo, Texas, where Patel visited the Boondoggle Ranch, a private hunting resort owned by C.R. “Bubba” Saulsbury Jr., a Republican donor and personal friend of Patel. The plane remained in Texas from Sunday through Wednesday, all during the government shutdown.
Patel’s travel habits have frustrated both the Justice Department and the White House, according to officials cited in the report. Senior administration aides reportedly complained that his travel went against earlier directives advising cabinet-level officials to avoid nonessential trips, especially those unrelated to President Trump’s agenda.
The report also mentioned that details about Patel’s personal trips — including his visits to Nashville and a separate trip to Scotland in August — have circulated among senior White House staff. The Journal wrote that Patel’s travel has become a “source of gossip within the bureau,” and that Trump has “occasionally expressed irritation in private with his FBI director,” though he still supports him publicly.
Patel dismissed the controversy in a statement to the newspaper, saying, “Thankfully, Americans can see through WSJ hot garbage—this FBI has never been stronger.”
Despite internal concerns, the White House reaffirmed its confidence in Patel. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told the Journal that Trump is “very proud of the work the FBI is doing under Director Patel’s leadership,” describing Patel as a “key player on his law-and-order team.”
The controversy has fueled further debate about the use of government resources by top officials and raised questions about ethics and accountability within federal leadership.