Kash Patel faces backlash after using FBI jet to watch girlfriend perform
FBI director Kash Patel appeared at the event alongside Wilkins, 26, who shared photos of the two together on social media.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Kash Patel has stirred a fresh controversy after reports emerged that he allegedly used a government jet to attend his girlfriend's singing performance at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania.
The reports also stated that the alleged FBI aircraft flew to Nashville, where Patel's girlfriend resides.
The claims were made by former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin, who wrote in an X post claiming that Patel travelled aboard a $60 million FBI jet to see his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at the Real American Freestyle Wrestling event held over the weekend.
Seraphin, who described himself as a commentator, podcaster, and a recovering FBI agent on his X bio, revealed the details on his podcast, stating that the flight was part of a pattern of "misuse of official resources."
"Dear FBI Employees: I'm sorry the government ISN'T funded, so you won't be getting a paycheck. Luckily, that doesn't stop Real American Freestyle WRESTLING! So I flew the FBI jet to State College, PA, hung out with my chick, and then flew to Nashville, where she lives: Kash," Seraphin wrote alongside an image of the FBI director with his girlfriend at the event.
Patel, 45, appeared at the event alongside Wilkins, 26, who shared photos of the two together on social media. The event, co-founded earlier this year by the late Hulk Hogan, featured Wilkins performing a song as part of the wrestling program.
According to The Independent, a jet registered to the Department of Justice appeared to have taken a roughly 40-minute flight from Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia to State College Regional Airport on October 25. Roughly two and a half hours later, the jet departed from State College for Nashville, where Wilkins lives.
Under FBI policy, the director is required to use official aircraft for security reasons but must reimburse the government for any personal trips at commercial rates. It remains unclear whether Patel repaid the costs of this particular travel.
However, this isn't the first time Patel's use of government resources has raised eyebrows. Lawmakers have previously accused him of overusing government jets for personal purposes.
Patel defended himself at the time, saying that "Congress made it mandatory" for the FBI director to fly exclusively on official planes.
