FBI Director Kash Patel is pushing back against criticism over his use of government aircraft to visit his girlfriend, country music artist Alexis Wilkins, arguing that he’s following congressional mandates while exercising far more restraint than his predecessors.
In an interview on the Katie Miller podcast, Patel addressed the controversy head-on, noting that Congress mandated 20 years ago that FBI directors cannot use commercial air travel for security reasons.
“If I was actually abusing it, I would go see every one of her shows. I think I get to like 15%,” Patel said, emphasizing his limited attendance at Wilkins’ performances.
The FBI director revealed that he’s taken additional steps to reduce costs beyond what previous directors did. “I mandated bureau require us to use government airfields. The prior two directors didn’t. They didn’t want to drive an extra 20 minutes to go to a government airfield like Andrews. They wanted to use Reagan as their personal landing strip,” Patel explained. He said this decision saves taxpayers between $4,000 and $7,000 per trip, noting that prior directors’ choices cost approximately $4 million in additional expenses.
Patel emphasized that he pays for personal travel like all cabinet members and agency heads, and pointed out the hypocrisy of his critics. “It’s hilarious when they hold up photos of me in Las Vegas and they say, ‘What are you doing in Vegas?’ And I was like, ‘So, I can’t go home now?'” he said, noting he’s lived in Las Vegas for five years.
The director also highlighted the disparity in scrutiny, noting that members of Congress “travel exclusively on government funded programs and go see their family and friends wherever they live, whenever they want. Not to mention the junkets they take overseas.”
Since January 20th, Patel has traveled to see Wilkins approximately three times for performances, visiting Nashville for holidays and birthdays with her family. Wilkins confirmed she does about 75% of the traveling in their relationship, coming to Washington more frequently than he travels to see her.
The couple, who met in late 2022 at a friend’s house in Nashville, have navigated a long-distance relationship through campaign work, touring schedules, and now the demands of leading the FBI. Both have faced intense scrutiny and death threats, with Wilkins becoming the target of multiple ongoing investigations into threats against her life.
Despite the criticism, Patel maintains the FBI is having its best year ever, with domestic terrorism arrests up 30%, espionage arrests up 35%, and arrests of violent felons doubling compared to last year. He credits President Trump’s support and increased resources for enabling the bureau’s success.