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Durbin alleges Kash Patel’s ‘joyrides’ hampered FBI probes
The whistleblower disclosed that Kash Patel's trips hurt the Charlie Kirk assassination investigation.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Wed, 25, Feb 2026
- 03:30 EST
- 30
FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference announcing details on the suspect in the shooting of U.S. conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 12, 2025. / REUTERS/Cheney Orr
Days after controversy broke out around FBI Director Kash Patel's beer celebration with U.S. men's hockey team in Italy, fresh trouble is brewing for the Trump confidant. U.S. Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin claimed that Patel's alleged 'joyrides' are affecting FBI investigations, citing new whistleblower disclosures.
Durbin, who has been actively pursuing an investigation into Patel's use of the Bureau's resources, noted that the new disclosures reveal that Patel's alleged joyrides hurt FBI investigations, including those into the Charlie Kirk and Brown University shootings.
In a follow-up letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Durbin added the "latest irresponsible use of government resources" to GAO’s ongoing review and requested an OIG investigation.
ALSO READ: Kash Patel defends beer-soaked Olympic celebration while on Italy trip
Durbin alleged, “Since his confirmation as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel has seemingly engaged in what amounts to irresponsible joyriding on DOJ and FBI-operated aircraft at the expense of the American taxpayer and to the detriment of ongoing Bureau operations."
Requesting an investigation, he added, "I request that the GAO’s ongoing review address the new information outlined below and that the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) investigate Director Patel’s misuse or mismanagement of government resources."
The Democratic whip also spotlighted the disclosures made by the whistleblower and continued, "In the immediate aftermath of the murder of Charlie Kirk, the FBI’s shooting reconstruction team was asked to fly to Utah to aid the investigation and process the scene. However, the team’s deployment was delayed by at least a day because of a Bureau plane and pilot shortage caused by the Director’s personal flights."
Durbin also went on to raise concerns about whether the recent breach of President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence by an armed intruder faced any delay or diminished capacity in the FBI response due to Patel's absence at the time. The incident coincided with Patel's trip to Italy.
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