Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Sen. Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), are escalating their scrutiny of FBI Director Kash Patel, demanding answers about whether he has been using government resources for personal leisure. The push follows reports that Patel took a “VIP snorkel” trip in Hawaii, raising questions about potential misuse of his position.
In a letter sent Friday to Patel, Schumer, Hirono, and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) requested a detailed breakdown of all personal travel since his confirmation, including the number of days spent at each destination and the activities that required security measures. The senators cited a pattern of what they described as exploitation of his “required use” designation for personal gain.
“Since your confirmation, report after report has emerged of apparent exploitation of your ‘required use’ designation and your title for extensive personal travel and to garner VIP access to events,” the senators wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The World Signal.
The controversy centers on a trip to Hawaii last year, where Patel participated in a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona, a restricted site that is part of the Pearl Harbor memorial. The Associated Press first reported the outing, which was coordinated by the military. Snorkeling and diving around the sunken battleship, which sank in 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, is generally prohibited to the public and considered a solemn military ceremony. Over 1,000 sailors died in the attack.
Patel’s Hawaii visit came after official trips to New Zealand and Australia, according to the Democrats. The letter also noted that Patel had previously criticized his predecessor, former FBI Director Christopher Wray, for personal travel, accusing Wray of using a government-funded jet for vacations. “During Director Wray’s tenure as FBI Director, you heavily criticized his personal travel, arguing ‘You don’t need a government funded G-5 jet so you can fly off to the Adirondacks for vacation and fail to do your duty under the Constitution,’” the senators wrote. “Yet, since your confirmation, report after report has detailed an unconscionable pattern of taking personal privileges under the guise of government business, even at the expense of mission readiness.”
Patel has also faced scrutiny over reports that he and his girlfriend, singer Alexis Wilkins, flew on the FBI’s Gulfstream V jet to Philadelphia to watch a George Strait concert from a private suite. Additionally, The New York Times reported that Patel directed agents from field offices to provide Wilkins with SWAT team security for her personal travel, with the Nashville detail costing approximately $1 million annually.
Durbin, the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, previously wrote that whistleblower disclosures revealed Patel’s “irresponsible joyriding” on Justice Department and FBI aircraft had “negatively impacted high-profile criminal investigations.”
In a separate letter Friday to Sean O’Neill, the acting Department of Justice inspector general, Schumer, Hirono, and Durbin requested a formal review of what they termed “Patel’s continued misuse and mismanagement of FBI resources at the expense of the American taxpayer and ongoing Bureau operations.” The letter specifically cited the “VIP snorkeling excursion near the restricted USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.”
“Director Patel remains focused on cultivating his personal brand and soliciting exclusive access to VIP perks while saddling taxpayers with the bills for the resources his glamorous holidays require,” the senators wrote. They asked O’Neill to confirm whether his office is investigating the issues raised.
This latest controversy comes amid broader concerns about the use of government resources for personal gain, a topic that has also drawn attention from House Democrats, who have formed a new anti-corruption caucus targeting ethics records. The situation underscores ongoing tensions between Patel and congressional Democrats, who have questioned his leadership and priorities at the FBI.
