A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
FBI Director Kash Patel has been the top man at the bureau for a year. In that time, he's generated some controversy, including for his use of social media. Now, the latest instance? Patel's partying with the U.S. men's hockey team after their gold medal win in Italy. Here's NPR's Ryan Lucas.
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RYAN LUCAS, BYLINE: In the video that made the rounds on social media, FBI Director Kash Patel, dressed in a white long-sleeve USA shirt and jeans, chugs a bottle of beer. He pumps his fists and bangs the table, celebrating with the U.S. men's hockey team in the locker room after they beat Canada in Milan on Sunday. At one point, a player puts a gold medal around Patel's neck. The FBI director then starts jumping and singing with the players.
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KASH PATEL AND UNIDENTIFIED HOCKEY PLAYERS: (Singing) When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell...
LUCAS: The optics of an FBI director swigging beer and partying have deepened concerns about Patel and whether he has the temperament to lead the nation's premier law enforcement agency. On top of that, his trip to Italy adds to questions about Patel's travel as FBI director on a taxpayer-funded jet. FBI directors are required to fly on U.S. government aircraft because of the secure communication systems, but critics question Patel's use of a government jet for what appears to be personal travel. That includes a reported hunting trip to Texas, as well as a flight to Pennsylvania to watch his country music singer girlfriend perform at a wrestling event.
Colorado Democrat Jason Crow, for example, said of Patel's latest trip, quote, "the grift and corruption is unreal. Your taxpayer dollars funding the FBI director's Italian vacation," end quote. Hanging over this is Patel's own sharp criticism of his predecessor, Chris Wray, for his use of a government jet while FBI director. Here's Patel speaking on Glenn Beck's podcast a couple of years ago.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "GLENN TV")
KASH PATEL: I'm just saying Chris Wray doesn't need a government-funded G5 jet to go to vacation. Maybe we ground that plane. Fifteen thousand every time it takes off. Just a thought.
LUCAS: Patel's Italy trip started to generate headlines as soon as it became public, in part because it just so happened to overlap with the Milan Olympics, and Patel is a huge hockey fan. An FBI spokesman has said the travel to Italy was not personal but business, and Patel did post photos on X of meetings with the U.S. ambassador and with officials at the Milan Joint Operations Center, which was focused on protecting Americans at the Winter Games.
For his part, Patel has been unapologetic about his post-match partying. In a message on X addressed to what he calls the very concerned media, Patel said he loves America and was humbled to celebrate with Team USA.
Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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