Kash Patel Purchases New Fleet of Luxury Armored BMWs to Be ‘Less Conspicuous’ During Outings

FBI Director Kash Patel is drawing criticism for breaking with long-standing bureau practice by using a luxury armored vehicle rather than the FBI’s typical government SUV.

MS NOW reported on Monday, Dec. 22, that Patel, 45, pushed the agency to acquire a specially armored BMW X5. Sources told the outlet he believed the vehicle would make him “less conspicuous” while out in public.

While armored vehicles are commonly contracted by the State Department to transport foreign dignitaries in high-risk settings overseas, senior FBI officials have traditionally been driven in a Chevrolet Suburban.

FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson confirmed that BMW X5s were purchased for Patel’s use. “Government agencies, including the FBI, routinely evaluate, replace and update vehicle fleets based on usage, security needs or budgetary decisions,” Williamson said. He added that the decisions described in the report were examined in part as a way “to save taxpayers millions by picking cheaper selections or making cost structures more efficient.”

The bureau did not provide documents detailing the cost of the new vehicle, evidence that it was more economical than continuing to use the existing fleet of Suburbans, or a clear explanation for why a new vehicle was necessary. Public pricing information for a fully armored X5 is not readily available online. However, Car and Driver previously reported that a similarly outfitted Cadillac Escalade was priced around $350,000 in 2019.

BMW’s website for the X5 Protection VR6 says the vehicle “offers protection not just against attacks with blunt instruments and handguns, but also against the world’s most widely used firearm, the AK-47.”

The vehicle purchase is the latest in a series of headlines involving Patel’s travel and security arrangements. In October, he faced questions after using an FBI-owned jet to attend a Penn State University wrestling event where his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, performed the national anthem.

The following month, MS NOW reported that Patel had used SWAT team members as a security detail for Wilkins. Typically, such protection is reserved for spouses of high-ranking FBI officials when traveling together.

Former FBI agent Christopher O’Leary, now a law enforcement contributor at MS NOW, said at the time there was “no legitimate justification” for assigning law enforcement personnel to protect Wilkins. “This is a clear abuse of position and misuse of government resources,” he said, noting that Wilkins “is not [Patel’s] spouse” and does not live with him. Wilkins lives in Nashville, while Patel has a home in Las Vegas and frequently travels to Washington, D.C., for work.

MS NOW has also reported that Patel requested a new FBI jet earlier this year, but that plan was ultimately “abandoned” amid cost estimates between $90 million and $115 million.

During a September hearing, Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont pressed Patel on his travel, saying, “By the way, everyday FBI agents who are assigned in Washington don’t get to fly home on a private jet.” Patel responded that Congress had made it “mandatory” for him to use private jets.

“Well, we didn’t make it mandatory that you go to UFC games with Mel Gibson,” Welch replied, referencing a March MMA event in Las Vegas that Patel attended. In April, Patel traveled to a charity hockey event in New York and returned to Washington, D.C., before flying back the next night to watch the New York Islanders play the Washington Capitals from a luxury box alongside Wayne Gretzky, according to CBS News.

The renewed attention also underscores a past contrast: Patel previously criticized his predecessor, Christopher Wray, over jet travel. In a 2023 episode of his podcast Kash’s Corner, Patel said he wanted to “ground Chris Wray’s private jet travel that he pays for with taxpayer dollars to hop around the country,” according to The Associated Press.