Republican Sen. Grassley probing FBI Director Patel’s travel and spending
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley asks FBI Director Kash Patel to make his case Use of FBI aircraft The BMW purchase and the letter, obtained by House and Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats and reviewed by CNN, are an indication that the powerful Republican president is overseeing Patel’s controversial spending of taxpayer dollars.
In his May 5 letter, Grassley asks Patel to list every flight he took on the FBI plane, share its costs, and indicate whether the flights were for personal or official purposes. If there was a personal reason for the flight, Grassley asks Patel if he has repaid the government. The Republican president is also pressing Patel to provide a cost analysis breakdown of BMW purchases compared to a similar Chevy suburban and outline fuel and storage comparisons.
The FBI director has courted controversy, especially after one incident. video Footage of the Team USA men’s hockey team drinking beer in the locker room went viral after the Olympic gold medal game in February, raising questions that Patel was using FBI resources for what appeared to be a fan’s personal trip. The FBI alleged that Patel was officially present in Milan and held six public events and two secret events, including meetings with the Olympic security apparatus.
FBI defends Patel’s travel expenses social media post “This FBI is more efficient and effective in every way,” he said, claiming his personal travel was much lower than former directors Chris Wray and James Comey.
Much of the criticism of Patel’s Olympic trip focuses on his use of the FBI Gulfstream jet for personal travel since his inauguration.
It’s a criticism that has dogged previous FBI directors and previous attorneys general. And before Patel became FBI director, he criticized the use of FBI drones by his predecessor, Wray, and suggested it should be punished.
Appearing on Glenn Beck’s podcast in 2024, Patel said, “Chris Wray doesn’t need a government-funded G-5 jet to go on vacation.” “Maybe we’ll ground that plane – $15,000 every time it takes off.”
But just as Wray didn’t have it at the time, Patel has no choice in how to travel.
Post-9/11 government regulation requires the attorney general and, since 2011, the FBI director, to use government aircraft for all travel, including personal travel. The reason for this policy, according to the Justice Department, is that in cases of national security or other emergencies, the president and other senior officials must always have secure communication with the FBI director and attorney general.
Grassley gave Patel until May 19 to respond to the voluntary request.
In the letter, Grassley, a Republican, points out that on other occasions he had investigated an FBI director’s spending habits.
“Regardless of which political party is in the White House, I have worked for decades to ensure that taxpayer dollars are protected from waste, fraud and abuse,” Grassley wrote.
Grassley’s letter comes as House and Senate Democrats launch their own investigations into Patel’s spending, including references to whistleblower accounts.
Grassley blasted Democrats Thursday night X said“Regardless of the administrator, my oversight is the same, unlike Democrats who are only interested in oversight when it benefits them politically.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Evan Perez and Isabelle Khurshudyan contributed to this report.
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