FBI Director Kash Patel defended his relationship with his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, after the couple faced a wave of criticism online over the weekend. Patel's response came after reports surfaced claiming he used an FBI jet to visit his girlfriend, who performed the national anthem at a wrestling event at Penn State University on October 25.
"The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis — a true patriot and the woman I'm proud to call my partner in life — are beyond pathetic," Patel wrote on X. "She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes," he said.
Speaking in Wilkins' Defense
"I'm so blessed she's in my life," he added. Patel said that the online attacks on Wilkins were putting their safety at risk, and he also called out his political allies for staying quiet about the controversy. "To our supposed allies staying silent — your silence is louder than the clickbait haters," he wrote.
The backlash against Patel and Wilkins began last week after former FBI agent and outspoken Patel critic Kyle Seraphin pointed to the FBI director's flight records, which appeared to show him using a government jet to visit Wilkins at the Real American Freestyle (RAF) pro-wrestling event, where she sang the national anthem.
"We're in the middle of a government shutdown where they're not even gonna pay all of the employees that work for the agency that this guy heads, and this guy is jetting off to hang out with his girlfriend in Nashville on our dime?" Seraphin said on his show.
The conservative podcaster went on to accuse Patel and Wilkins of "grifting off the American public," which fueled anger online toward the couple.
Proving Himself Right
Patel's publicly accessible flight logs allegedly led him to remove Steven Palmer — a 27-year FBI veteran who oversaw the bureau's aviation division — from his position, according to Bloomberg Law.
Sources told the outlet that Palmer was given an ultimatum — either resign or be fired — after Patel got furious over reports about his personal travel.
In response to the growing criticism, FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson dismissed the negative coverage, calling the headlines "disingenuous and dumb."
FBI directors are required to use government aircraft for security reasons, though they must reimburse the agency for any personal travel.
Ironically, Patel had previously criticized former FBI Director Chris Wray for using government planes for personal purposes.
