FBI Chief Caught Using Government Jet to Cheer On His Country Singer Girlfriend at Wrestling Event

FBI Director Kash Patel
FBI Director Kash Patel Photo by FMT licensed under CC BY 4.0.

FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly took a government jet to Pennsylvania State University over the weekend — not for official business, but to watch his girlfriend perform at a wrestling event.

According to flight data cited in a recent report, a jet registered to the Department of Justice made a short 40-minute trip from Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia to State College, Pennsylvania, on October 25. Roughly two and a half hours later, it departed again — this time to Nashville, where Patel’s 26-year-old girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, lives.

Patel, 45, appeared alongside Wilkins at the Real American Freestyle wrestling event, an unscripted promotion co-founded by Hulk Hogan. Photos posted by Wilkins on social media showed the pair at the show, sparking questions online about whether Patel’s travel was taxpayer-funded.

As FBI director, Patel is technically required to use government aircraft for travel, since he must have access to secure communications systems. He’s also supposed to reimburse the government for any personal travel at the cost of a commercial ticket — but critics argue he’s been stretching that rule.

Lawmakers have accused Patel of overusing the FBI jet for non-official trips, including visits to Nashville and sporting events. The New York Times previously reported that Patel made at least three round trips to Nashville this year, visiting FBI field offices during the day — and then spending personal time with Wilkins.

What’s raising eyebrows this time is that there’s no sign Patel conducted any official business while in State College.

Adding to the irony, Patel once blasted his predecessor, former FBI Director Christopher Wray, for doing the same thing. “His private jet that he pays for with taxpayer dollars to hop around the country should be grounded,” Patel said in 2023.

Now, critics are throwing Patel’s own words back at him.

The FBI hasn’t confirmed how much Patel reimbursed the government for his latest romantic getaway — or whether taxpayers once again picked up part of the tab.