FBI Director Kash Patel lashed out at MS NOW on Friday after it suggested that recent reports of his allegedly lavish lifestyle were not a good look and that he should perhaps “lay low.” Patel responded on X with an image of a gold-plated jet ski, writing: “Nah, my jet ski is gold plated….dumbass. Your job is to lie. Mine is to protect the American people, and business is good!”
Allegations Against Patel
Patel has faced multiple controversies during his tenure: alleged excessive drinking and unexplained absences; reportedly arranging for his girlfriend, musician Alexis Wilkins, to be escorted by SWAT team members; and taking a VIP snorkel excursion during a work trip to Hawaii.
These allegations prompted Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to announce Thursday that they would launch an investigation into Patel’s use of public resources. The two Democrats noted that Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent Patel a letter in May raising “serious concerns” about the FBI director’s “use of government aircraft, his purchase of a fleet of luxury BMW vehicles, and whether he has reimbursed taxpayers for personal travel.”
Official Response and Backlash
Patel did not comment on the investigation, but a senior agency official told NewsNation that the accusations in Grassley’s letter “are completely false.” However, Patel’s gold jet ski post drew widespread criticism on social media. Users called him corrupt, a “douchebag,” and questioned his priorities. One user wrote: “I sure am glad my tax dollars are going toward something positive for a change.”
The MS NOW article that sparked Patel’s response was titled “Kash Patel Can’t Count On Trump’s Protection Forever,” where editor Hayes Brown warned that it “would be a mistake” for Patel to assume that the “umbra of invincibility that covers the president reaches the FBI director as well.” Brown added that Trump has shown “no amount of previous loyalty can make him stick his own neck out to protect his inner circle.”
Congressional Investigation
The investigation by Raskin and Durbin will examine Patel’s use of government aircraft, luxury vehicle purchases, and personal travel reimbursements. The letter from Grassley in May outlined these concerns, and the Democrats are now moving forward with a formal probe.
