Overview
- Sen. Dick Durbin formally asked the GAO and the DOJ inspector general to investigate whistleblower allegations that Director Kash Patel’s travel on FBI aircraft impaired time‑sensitive operations.
- A whistleblower told Durbin the FBI’s evidence/shooting reconstruction team could not fly to Brown University on Dec. 13, 2025, because one bureau jet was with Patel in Florida and the other was held for the Hostage Rescue Team, forcing an overnight drive in a winter storm.
- The same whistleblower said the team’s deployment to Utah after Charlie Kirk’s killing was delayed at least a day due to a bureau plane and pilot shortage, citing FAA rest requirements after flights connected to Patel’s travel.
- The FBI pushed back, with spokesperson Ben Williamson calling the accusations false, saying Patel was on official travel, asserting the director offers the plane if needed, and disputing timelines and necessity of aircraft for the Brown response.
- A leaked internal itinerary published by the New York Times showed hours labeled as personal time and cultural activities during Patel’s Milan Olympics trip, which the FBI defended as official business while condemning the leak as a criminal act.