Overview
- Government emails obtained by the Associated Press and a Navy statement Thursday confirmed that FBI Director Kash Patel joined a military‑coordinated VIP snorkel near the USS Arizona during an August 2025 stop in Hawaii.
- The FBI did not include the swim or Patel’s two‑day return to Hawaii in public releases, and flight data show the bureau’s Gulfstream stayed on Oahu for two nights before flying to Las Vegas.
- The USS Arizona is a protected military cemetery where swimming is generally prohibited, and the Navy says participants received safety briefings and were told not to touch the wreck; the National Park Service said it was not involved.
- Navy officials say they cannot determine who initiated the excursion and describe such visits as rare but “not an anomaly,” which has intensified questions about how access is granted and recorded.
- Veterans and watchdogs criticized the outing as inappropriate and part of a wider pattern of perks and travel concerns, while FBI officials called it a solemn historical tour to honor the dead.