Kash Patel blows up at FBI SWAT team for not playing bodyguard for girlfriend Alexis Wilkins
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Kash Patel blows up at FBI SWAT team for not playing bodyguard for girlfriend Alexis Wilkins")
Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel and his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins Photograph: (AFP)
Kash Patel is facing blowback again after reportedly erupting at FBI SWAT teams he had ordered to guard his girlfriend at events, sparking accusations of abusing power and misusing resources. Scroll for full story.
Kash Patel, US President Donald Trump's FBI director, is under fresh scrutiny after an explosive confrontation with his own security team at the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Atlanta. According to a New York Times report, Patel erupted when members of an FBI SWAT unit assigned to protect his girlfriend, 27-year-old singer Alexis Wilkins, stepped away from their posts after determining she was safe.
Patel goes berserk
According to the report, Patel had arranged for an entire SWAT team from the bureau’s Atlanta field office to shadow Wilkins at the conference, where she sang the Star Spangled Banner. Current and former officials told the Times the level of protection she received was "highly unusual," with one calling it a glaring misuse of government resources.
Also read | One meeting with Trump won't melt Zohran Mamdani? New York Mayor-elect says POTUS still a 'fascist'
Christopher O’Leary, a former Marine and FBI agent who once led high-risk missions, said "The assignment of SWAT-qualified special agents to guard his girlfriend are indicative of his lack of leadership experience, judgment and humility"
Mad in love?
Trending Stories
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
The controversy follows another report, from MS Now, which found Patel had diverted officers from Nashville’s SWAT unit – Wilkins’ hometown – to protect her earlier this month. Officials quoted in the story called the decision unprecedented and warned it could weaken responses to emergencies, including mass shootings.
Also read | White House jumps to defend Trump’s 'quiet piggy' insult, says 'you have to be able to take it'
Agents in Salt Lake City were also ordered to protect Wilkins at a September event despite having just worked extended hours after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Times said. "There is no legitimate justification for this. This is a clear abuse of position and misuse of government resources," O’Leary told MS Now. "She is not his spouse, does not live in the same house or even in the same city."
Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell blasted Patel on X, saying the director refused similar protection for democratic lawmakers facing threats. "Can only conclude he wants us dead," he wrote.
Patel has faced a string of scandals over his personal use of taxpayer resources, including a $60 million government jet trip to watch Wilkins perform. Wilkins has defended the security, posting screenshots of violent threats she received, including messages wishing for her death.
