FBI Director Kash Patel Faces Scrutiny After Milan Locker-Room Video
A Feb. 22, 2026 video shows FBI Director Kash Patel celebrating with the U.S. men's hockey team in Milan and renewed scrutiny over his use of an FBI jet; Sen. Dick Durbin asked GAO and DOJ OIG to investigate.
CNNKash Patel’s use of the FBI jet sparks outrage. Here’s why he couldn’t travel to the Olympics any other way | CNN Politics
The GuardianJon Stewart on politicization of USA hockey win: ‘Is Kash Patel a Make-a-Wish man?’
TownhallKash Patel Celebrated With Team USA at the Winter Olympics. Was It a Big Deal?
SemaforPatel gets a pass on Olympic celebrations
Overview
A Feb. 22, 2026 video shows FBI Director Kash Patel drinking beer and wearing a gold medal in the U.S. men's hockey team locker room in Milan after the U.S. beat Canada 2-1 in overtime.
Sen. Dick Durbin asked the Government Accountability Office to include whistleblower complaints about Patel’s travel and requested the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General open an investigation into his plane use and travel priorities.
The FBI and Patel said the trip was planned months earlier and included law enforcement meetings, and Patel posted on X on Feb. 23, 2026 that he had been invited into the locker room.
Critics said operating an FBI Gulfstream can cost tens of thousands of dollars and one report estimated Patel’s Milan flight could have cost as much as $75,000, while the FBI has three jets based in Virginia.
The controversy has prompted congressional inquiries and public criticism as the FBI said it continued to provide necessary support for other investigations, including officials tracking violence in Mexico.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Patel’s trip as an ethics problem by using loaded language (e.g., “brazen indulgence,” “guzzling beer”), emphasizing a pattern of scandals (GSA, Price, Pruitt) and selective sourcing that highlights allegations while minimizing defenses. Editorial structure foregrounds evocative imagery and comparisons, treating anecdotes (locker-room video, plane trips) as cumulative evidence of impropriety.
FAQ
Kash Patel is an American lawyer and government official serving as FBI Director since 2025 in President Trump's second administration, confirmed by the Senate 51-49 on February 20, 2025.