FBI director's private jet use delayed investigations, Democrat alleges

A top Democrat has accused the FBI director of causing a delayed response to high-profile cases in the US due to his personal use of the agency's private jet.

Sen Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for a probe into FBI Director Kash Patel over what he called "irresponsible joyriding" in the bureau's private aircraft.

He cited a whistleblower who alleged it slowed the FBI's response to Utah after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was killed and Patel's trip to Italy, where he was seen celebrating with the men's USA hockey team after their Olympic win.

An FBI spokesperson disputed the allegations that Patel's travels in any way hindered investigations.

FBI spokesman Ben Williamson called the claims both "false" and "egregious" and said, "Durbin and whoever he's speaking to are full of it".

FBI directors are barred from flying commercial airlines due to security, and personal jet use has come under scrutiny under multiple administrations, both Republican and Democratic.

Durbin, a Democrat representing Illinois, cited a whistleblower report to his staff that chronicled that the FBI's shooting reconstruction team was delayed responding to Utah in September after Kirk was killed during an event on a college campus. Durbin said the team was halted for at least a day due to a pilot shortage that was allegedly caused by Patel traveling.

The whistleblower alleged that same team was delayed in responding to a mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island over Patel's guidance and placing a jet on hold. The team instead drove from Quantico, Virginia - where the bureau's headquarters is located - to Providence, Rhode Island, Durbin said.

Two students were killed and nine others were wounded in the attack.

Williamson, the FBI spokesman, said these allegations were false.

"The Brown U thing is totally false but the Charlie Kirk allegation is even more egregious," he wrote on X. "Kash was in DC on 9/10 and in New York the next day for the 9/11 ceremonies - not personal travel. Durbin and whoever he's speaking to are full of it."

He went through the FBI's response to Brown University and called the allegations of a delayed response both "misleading" and "ridiculous".

According to CNN, the FBI has three jets based in Virginia for operational use and for the director's transport, along with a fleet of aircraft stationed around the country for surveillance and emergency response missions.

The issue over the FBI director using a private jet has been scrutinised for years for chief's appointed by both Democrats and Republicans.

In 2013, the Government Accountability Office - the federal government's internal watchdog - examined private jet use by FBI director Robert Mueller and US Attorney General Eric Holder after accusations that they had been misusing them.

Former FBI directors James Comey and Christopher Wray had also been called out for taking hundreds of trips that cost US taxpayers millions of dollars.

Before being appointed by President Donald Trump, Patel once criticised his predecessor for using the agency's jet for personal travel.

Durbin has asked that the Government Accountability Office and the Justice Department's inspector general investigate Patel's jet usage.

"As federal law enforcement is navigating multiple crises—including Americans facing significant danger after a prominent cartel leader was killed in Mexico—the FBI cannot afford to have its resources further stretched by a Director who views its staff and aircraft as a means to support his jet-setting lifestyle," Durbin wrote in a letter to both agencies.

Patel on Monday defended his recent trip to the Winter Olympics in Italy, telling the "very concerned media" that he was "extremely humbled" to be with the men's hockey team after their victory over Canada in Milan. An FBI spokesperson said the trip was focused on meetings with public officials in Italy and had been planned for months.

Footage showed the FBI chief drinking a beer and cheering with the players in a locker room after the game.

That same day - shortly before the celebration - Patel had posted on X that the FBI was "dedicating all necessary resources" to investigate how an armed man tried to enter President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida where Secret Service agents fatally shot the alleged intruder.

Last November, Patel reportedly used the FBI's plane to fly to Pennsylvania and watch a performance by his girlfriend, country music star Alexis Wilkins.

Congressional Democrats said in December they were investigating reports that Patel flew on an FBI jet to a hunting resort in Texas and a golfing trip in Scotland.

FBI directors are banned from flying commercially due to security concerns, but must reimburse the government for personal use of the plane at the price of an airline ticket.

The FBI has defended Patel's private jet usage and has said that he is complying with the federal law that requires reimbursement for personal travel.