President Donald Trump gave FBI Director Kash Patel a talking-to about his boozy Olympic Games celebration in Italy and using a government plane to get there and back.
Trump, who doesn’t drink, reportedly told Patel he wasn’t happy about him chugging a beer, yelling, and hitting a table in the locker room of the U.S. men’s hockey team after their gold medal win in Milan on Sunday, NBC News reported. Patel’s use of a taxpayer-funded plane was also an issue for Trump.
It wasn’t immediately clear when Trump, 79, confronted Patel.
When reached for comment, the White House did not directly address the exchange. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast in part that Trump “has full confidence” in his administration, including Patel.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump‘s displeasure with the video has been shared by eight former FBI and Justice Department officials, who told MS NOW that it was “drawing outrage” in their circles.
Patel’s decision to involve himself with the hockey team didn’t sit well with popular podcaster—and 2024 Trump supporter—Andrew Schulz, who called it “selfish.”
“When you insert yourself in the room, it becomes culture war,” he said. “Let America have this great victory; these guys play their f—ing asses off.”
Patel’s use of a taxpayer-funded aircraft was already controversial before video emerged of his celebration during a trip that the FBI insisted was “not a personal” one.
Only a few months into the job, Patel, an NHL fan, used a government plane to travel to an NHL game in Long Island. He has also used one at least three times to travel to Nashville, Tennessee, where his girlfriend lives, The New York Times reported last April.
The nature of Patel’s job prevents him from flying commercial, where secure communications equipment isn’t guaranteed, the Times noted.
As the director of the bureau, Patel, 46, is required to reimburse the government for the use of planes. But the cost he pays is a commercial ticket, which doesn’t come close to a flight on one of the bureau’s jets.
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