FBI director invites fresh scrutiny over travels with appearance at US
men's hockey team celebration
[February 24, 2026]
By ERIC TUCKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — When the American men's hockey team retreated to their
locker room to celebrate their Winter Olympics gold medal win, they were
joined by a special guest from the United States: FBI Director Kash
Patel.
For some supporters of the embattled law enforcement official, it was a
patriotic, good-natured show of support for a team bringing home the
first gold medal in the sport since 1980. For Patel's critics, though,
it was yet another questionable use of government resources by an FBI
chief already facing scrutiny over his personal travels aboard a
government plane.
An FBI spokesman had said in the days leading up to the game that
Patel's trip to Milan during the Olympics was primarily for professional
purposes, with the director posting on social media work-related
photographs of his meetings with European security officials. But the
trip took a more jocular turn Sunday when videos circulating online
showed a pumped-up Patel, a hockey fan, drinking beer from a bottle and
spraying the rest around the locker room. After one of the players
draped his gold medal around Patel's neck, he joined the players as they
jumped up and down in celebration.
The episode deepened questions about Patel's personal travels, a
persistent storyline from the first year of his tenure not only because
of their frequency but also because he had chastised his predecessor,
Chris Wray, for his use of the FBI plane. In this instance, the Olympics
celebration took place as FBI officials were investigating an armed man
who was shot and killed by the U.S. Secret Service after he breached the
secure perimeter of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
“The grift & corruption is unreal,” Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of
Colorado posted on X. “Your taxpayer dollars funding the FBI Director's
Italian vacation.”
Patel responded to the criticism by posting on his personal X account
that "yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the
newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker
room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys.”
The White House signaled its backing for Patel, with communications
director Steven Cheung writing on X that “Kash was also in Italy meeting
with regional partners and security teams” and telling a reporter “don't
be mad because America won.”
An ongoing source of criticism
Patel is not the only Trump administration figure to face questions
about his use of government resources, with congressional Democrats also
demanding answers from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about her
department's contract for upgraded jets.
But the FBI in particular has struggled to shake questions about Patel's
travels on the government Gulfstream G550 for flights around the country
that have no known or apparent law enforcement purpose. One example came
in October when it emerged that Patel had traveled to State College,
Pennsylvania, for a pro wrestling event, where his longtime girlfriend,
country singer Alexis Wilkins, had performed the national anthem. Photos
posted to social media by Wilkins show the couple side-by-side and
smiling for the camera and her holding an oversized golden championship
belt.
The trips have come even though as a bombastic podcaster during the
Biden administration, Patel had repeatedly lambasted Wray for using the
FBI plane for personal travels and even suggested that the jet be
grounded.
“I’m just saying Chris Wray doesn’t need a government-funded G5 jet to
go to vacations. Maybe we ground that plane. $15,000 every time it takes
off. Just a thought,” Patel said in one podcast interview.
FBI spokesman Ben Williamson has defended Patel, noting that he is
required for security purposes to use the bureau jet even for personal
trips and consistently reimburses the government for private travels.
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FBI director Kash Patel arrives before President Donald Trump speaks
in the East Room of the White House, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
“Kash himself has significantly limited personal travel — but he’s
allowed to take personal time on occasion to see family, friends or
his longtime girlfriend. He doesn’t do it often,” Williamson posted
on X in November. “He works far more full weekends than he does
otherwise. And maybe most importantly — ask anyone who works for
him, he’s on duty 24/7 regardless.”
Even so, it's long been a sensitive issue for the FBI and Justice
Department. The department's inspector general, for instance, last
year faulted a since-retired FBI assistant director for taking
government-paid trips to the official's “bucket list” countries —
travel that the watchdog said did include some professional meetings
but also consisted of days of beach resort stays.
And in 1993, President Bill Clinton fired then-FBI Director William
Sessions after a harshly critical report alleged that he had “abused
government travel for personal purposes.”
Patel, for his part, has said he complies with all policies, saying
in a podcast interview in December that he travels “under the rules
that have been established by the prior 20 years of Congress, DOJ
and FBI.”
A raucous celebration
The latest kerfuffle started last week with media coverage
indicating that Patel would be in Italy for the final days of the
Olympics.
Williamson responded to the reports by saying on social media that
the trip was not personal in nature, had been planned months ago,
would include meetings with a cross-section of officials and was
consistent with the FBI's “major role” in Olympics security.
Once in Italy, Patel posted pictures of his visit to the Milan Joint
Operations Center, which he said was charged with protecting the
security of American athletes and all those who traveled to Milan
for the Winter Games. He also posted a photo of his meeting with the
U.S. ambassador to Italy.
He was in Italy on Sunday as the FBI, in the United States, was
investigating the intrusion at Mar-a-Lago and continuing its search
for Nancy Guthrie, kidnapped from her Arizona home weeks ago. Other
concerns confronting American officials that day included an
eruption of violence in Mexico and the potential of a Trump
administration attack on Iran.
While the hockey game was still underway, Patel posted on X that the
FBI was dedicating all necessary resources to the Mar-a-Lago
investigation.
Later in the day, videos surfaced showing the FBI director, in a
long-sleeve white USA shirt, partaking in the festive locker room
celebration and holding out a cell phone as Trump speaks to the
exuberant team. Patel, meanwhile, posted on his X account pictures
of himself with the team, including one showing him holding an
unfurled American flag and another in the locker room.
By Monday, he resumed more of his standard work-related content,
sharing posts on social media about falling crime numbers.
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Associated Press writers Jim Mustian and Michael Biesecker
contributed to this report.
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