FBI flights prompt questions about Kash Patel's taxpayer-funded travel

Kash Patel travelled to Milan on the FBI's Gulfstream G550 during the Winter Olympics, and videos of him in the U.S. men's hockey locker room drew public attention; the FBI says the trip included preplanned security meetings and Patel reimburses the government.

Kash Patel's trip to Milan at the end of the Winter Olympics has drawn public attention to the use of taxpayer-funded FBI travel. The trip, taken on the FBI's Gulfstream G550, became widely reported after videos showed Patel in the U.S. men's hockey locker room following the gold-medal game. The FBI said the visit had been planned months earlier, included meetings with regional partners and security teams, and was consistent with the agency's role in Olympics security. Patel and White House officials described his activities as meeting and celebrating with Team USA, while Democrats and advocacy figures raised questions about the frequency and nature of director travel. What is known: - Patel travelled to Milan on the FBI Gulfstream G550 during the Winter Olympics. - Videos showed him celebrating in the U.S. men's hockey locker room, which drew public attention. - FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said the trip was not personal, was planned months in advance, included meetings with officials, and related to Olympics security. - Patel and White House communications said he met with regional partners and celebrated with Team USA; Patel posted about being invited into the locker room. - House Democrats, including Rep. Jamie Raskin, and Democratic groups have raised questions and opened a probe into the director's travel practices. - A 2013 Government Accountability Office review cited 697 flights by two attorneys general and the FBI director between 2007 and 2011, with 38 flights judged non-mission and an estimated cost of about US$11.4 million at the time. Summary: The episode has renewed discussion about how FBI directors use agency aircraft and how trips are classified as mission or non-mission. Congressional Democrats have opened a review of the director's travel. The matter recalls earlier controversies over director travel and reimbursement rules, and further findings or formal outcomes are undetermined at this time.