If the FBI offered frequent flier miles, Director Kash Patel would have plenty.
Patel, 45, has been jet-setting around the United States since he was sworn in as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Feb. 21, including a trio of trips to Nashville—where his 26-year-old country musician girlfriend lives—and a flight to Long Island to catch an NHL game.
The New York Times broke the story on those flights on Sunday, noting that Patel’s position bars him from flying commercially because he requires around-the-clock access to secure communications equipment that is typically on government jets.
Trump loyalist Patel has conducted no high-profile arrests of the president’s adversaries—yet—as some hoped he would, but he has found the time to attend two NHL games to watch Alex Ovechkin tie Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record in Washington on April 4 and to break that record days later on Long Island, where Patel is from, on April 6.
Flight records show that a Boeing 757 owned by the Department of Justice (DOJ) flew to John F. Kennedy International Airport on April 6, arriving shortly before a game between the New York Islands and Washington Capitals. The plane departed back to Washington, D.C., shortly after it ended.
Records also show a trio of round-trip flights to Nashville on a DOJ-owned Gulfstream, the Times reported. That is where Patel’s girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, lives.
Patel reportedly conducted official business on at least one of those Nashville trips, visiting the local FBI office and meeting with Tennessee’s Republican senators and local law enforcement.
It is unclear what business was conducted during the FBI’s other visits to the Volunteer State, however. Directors are required to reimburse the government for the use of planes, but only have to do so at the price of a commercial ticket, which is, of course, much less than the cost of operating a private jet.
The Justice Department operates a small fleet of planes that are available for use by Patel as director, including two Gulfstreams and two Boeing 757s. That apparently is not enough for the Trump administration, however, as the FBI has recently issued a request for information about purchasing another jet for “required-use executive travel.”
I am 1000% behind this FBI pic.twitter.com/SDxPvrotV7
— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) March 9, 2025
Patel has been among the most visible FBI directors in its history.
Opposed to working quietly behind the scenes, like his more recent predecessors, he has actively posted about the bureau’s early wins and even got dolled up in a camouflage vest, gray windbreaker, his signature sunglasses, and a matching camo baseball hat for a photo op last month that he posted to X.
Patel also flew to Miami to sit ringside with President Donald Trump at a UFC fight night on April 12.
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