Kash Patel fired a senior FBI official amid row over his flying to his girlfriend’s performance on a $60m FBI jet.
FBI director Kash Patel apparently grew angry over the official whose one of the jobs was to supervise FBI’s aviation units — after his latest visit to his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins’ performance in Pennsylvania led to a controversy. Bloomberg reported that Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI, was told to resign immediately or be fired. The report cited insiders who connected this development to Patel’s fury over the excessive attention to his personal travel.
FBI directors can’t fly commercial; they have to use agency jets for personal travel
For security reasons, FBI directors can’t fly on commercial planes and have to use agency jets for personal travel, too. But they have to pay a reimbursement for using the agency jet for their personal use. FBI claimed that Patel has so far broken no rules and paid reimbursement in advance. Patel chooses additional measures to reduce travel costs, the FBI said, adding that he always chooses to take a government airfield instead of airports like DCA as the government option is cheaper.
$60 million aircraft amid shutdown to attend girlfriend’s performance
This is not the first time that Kash Patel’s private life came on the radar. Kyle Seraphin, a former FBI agent who has now become a podcaster, questioned Patel’s last weekend visit to Pennsylvania, where country musician Alexis Wilkins performed. “We’re in the middle of government shutdown where they’re not even gonna pay all of the employees that work for the agency that this guy heads. And this guy is jetting off to hang out with his girlfriend in Nashville on our dime?” Kyle Seraphin, a former FBI agent said on his podcast.“He flew a $60 million aircraft to go hang out there. Is that gross to anybody else?”
Did Palmer have any role in leaking Patel’s personal travel details?
Bloomberg reported that Palmer’s position included supervising the FBI’s aviation unit’s but Patel’s flight schedule was traceable through online tracking services and he posted his photo with Wilkins at the event.
