FBI Director Kash Patel is again under scrutiny over how he has allegedly used government security assigned to his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins. The 45-year-old is accused of directing agents from Wilkins’ protective detail to drive one of her allegedly intoxicated friends home after a night out in Nashville, where Wilkins frequently spends time for work.
According to MS NOW, three sources said that Wilkins, 27, asked her security detail on at least two occasions to take a friend home, including one instance in the spring. When the agents declined, Patel allegedly intervened and ordered them to comply.
The outlet reported that Patel called the lead agent on Wilkins’ security team and angrily insisted that he drive Wilkins’ friend home. These episodes have reportedly raised concerns among FBI personnel, who, according to MS NOW, “have grown increasingly concerned by Patel’s use of the bureau’s strapped resources.”
FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson pushed back on the allegations, telling MS NOW, “This is made up and did not happen.”
This latest report follows criticism Patel faced late last month for assigning SWAT team members to Wilkins’ protective detail.
MS NOW previously reported that Wilkins’ security team — which includes elite agents who would ordinarily be assigned to Nashville’s FBI field office — prompted worries that their reassignment could slow the agency’s response to emergencies, citing two individuals “with direct knowledge” of the situation.
The deployment of such highly trained agents has also fueled accusations of potential abuse of power and misuse of government resources. In November, The New York Times reported that members of the SWAT team had been redirected to Wilkins’ security on multiple occasions over a span of months.
Patel’s decision to provide a full security detail for Wilkins is out of step with past practice, MS NOW noted, as partners of top FBI officials have typically only received protection when traveling with the official.
Earlier in November, Patel also faced backlash for using a $60 million FBI jet to travel to State College, Pennsylvania, where Wilkins was scheduled to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a wrestling event at Penn State University’s Bryce Jordan Center, according to reports from The Daily Beast and The New Republic.
In April, CBS News reported that Patel utilized a government-owned jet for two separate round-trip flights between Washington, D.C., and New York City during a single weekend. He initially flew to New York for a charity hockey event hosted by the FBI, returned to Washington, and then flew back to New York the next night to watch the New York Islanders play the Washington Capitals from a luxury suite with Wayne Gretzky, CBS News reported.
Patel has previously criticized other officials for relying on government aircraft for what he characterized as personal or unnecessary travel. On a 2023 episode of his podcast Kash’s Corner, he said he wanted to “ground Chris Wray’s private jet travel that he pays for with taxpayer dollars to hop around the country,” referring to his predecessor at the FBI.
Former bureau officials have condemned Patel’s reported conduct, including former senior FBI agent Christopher O’Leary.
“His abusive and excessive use of the GV Jet for his personal adventures and the assignment of SWAT-qualified special agents to guard his girlfriend are indicative of his lack of leadership experience, judgment and humility,” O’Leary told The New York Times in late November.
