(Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)
FBI Director Kash Patel on Sunday slammed a report he used a government jet to go and watch his girlfriend perform country music — saying it was nothing more than “fake news” and “noise from uninformed internet anarchists” designed to tear down the good work he and President Donald Trump‘s administration are accomplishing.
Patel, in a post on X on Sunday, also said the report was an attempt to smear his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins — whom he characterized as “a true patriot.”
“I’ve always said — criticize me all you want. But going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace,” Patel posted. “The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis — a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life — are beyond pathetic. She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes. I’m so blessed she’s in my life.”
He continued: “Attacking her isn’t just wrong — it’s cowardly and jeopardizes our safety. My love of family will always be my cornerstone, and you will never tear that down or keep me from them.”
His strongly-worded defense of his girlfriend comes a few days after The Bulwark reported Patel used an FBI plane to go watch Wilkins perform at Penn State University on Oct. 25.
The outlet reported Patel’s appearance at her concert caught the eye of ex-FBI agent and Patel critic Kyle Seraphin:
“Seraphin noted that a government jet that took off from a northern Virginia airport, then landed at State College, Pennsylvania’s regional airport near the campus, right around the time Patel was headed there. The FBI didn’t respond to a request for comment. But the jet is registered with the FAA as government-owned, with its owner’s address as the FBI’s Washington headquarters. Earlier that week, the jet traveled from Washington to Philadelphia, an itinerary that matches Patel’s appearance at a press conference in that city.”
Patel, in his post, did not directly reference The Bulwark’s story. But he insisted he will “not be distracted by baseless rumors.” He added his FBI is “laser-focused” on meeting its goals, which include “hunting down terrorists” and “taking violent criminals” off the street.
Bloomberg Law on Saturday reported the FBI “forced out” a senior aviation official after Patel “grew outraged” about his publicly available flight logs showing he had traveled to see Wilkins.
Patel ended his post with a warning to those Republicans who have not backed him: “And to our supposed allies staying silent — your silence is louder than the clickbait haters.”
