The latest agitprop attack on FBI Director Kash Patel focuses on his use of the Department of Justice’s Gulfstream (G5) aircraft. On October 25th, Patel utilized the G5 aircraft, as he is required to by OMB and DOJ policy, to fly to a Real American Freestyle (RAF) event. Online cranks and grifters seized on the opportunity to exploit the public’s ignorance, stoke rage, and garner engagement.
After 9/11, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) jointly designated the FBI Director as a “required-use traveler” under OMB Circular A-126, the rulebook that governs federal aircraft. Patel—like the Attorney General—must use a government plane for all travel, even personal, because of 24/7 secure communication and continuity-of-government requirements.
In addition, the G5 in question is not Patel’s personal jet but serves the Attorney General’s travel requirements as well as FBI investigative support.
Though the trip in question occurred during a government shutdown, the event was steeped in populist interest. The RAF is a start-up wrestling league whose Commissioner was the late Hulk Hogan. The league gives world-class wrestling talent the opportunity to compete in a professional setting and provides fans with a very American opportunity to support and engage with a new competitive sport that features red, white, and blue aesthetics along with prominently displayed American flags.
RAF is streamed on Fox Nation, and Patel was there to support the nascent league during its second event—hardly an aristocratic junket to Martha’s Vineyard or the Hamptons, but rather a very real moment of considered patriotism. Patel and Alexis Wilkins, Patel’s girlfriend, coordinated their schedules to meet at the event. It sounds like an instance of responsible stewardship instead of a spendthrift Playboy free-for-all, as alleged by dishonest and subversive elements on X.
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So much for the alleged poor optics.
The faux furor was sparked by an Instagram post from Wilkins. She posted a photo of herself with Patel at the October 25th event. Wilkins was featured at the RAF’s opening event on August 30th in Cleveland, Ohio.
This disinformation narrative is really about Wilkins. Since Director Patel is a required-use traveler, this certainly isn’t about corruption or misuse of taxpayer-funded resources. Nor is this really about optics once the context is understood. The primary muckraker is Alex Jones acolyte Kyle Seraphin, who is currently the defendant in a $5 million defamation suit brought by Wilkins, hence all the manufactured outrage over the fictionalized and distorted events surrounding Patel’s use of the G5.
Moreover, FBI Assistant Director of Public Affairs Ben Williamson explained Patel’s required-use obligations clearly in a recent X post, writing that “criticisms like this of Director Patel’s travel are disingenuous and dumb” because “FBI Directors are ‘required-use travelers’ under federal regulations—meaning that Congress mandates that they travel on a government plane even on personal travel” and “are actually barred from flying commercial.”
Williamson also noted that “on personal travel, the Director pays a reimbursement in advance—strictly following OMB rules” and that “this FBI has taken steps to dramatically reduce costs of Director travel, both official and personal.” When Patel flies, he uses government airfields instead of commercial airports like DCA (Reagan National), a single choice that cuts flight costs by about 2.5 times and saves taxpayers millions.
“When Kash flies,” Williamson added, this is a “choice that ends up saving millions in the long haul. His predecessors did not do this.”
Under former Director Chris Wray, the Bureau logged 772 trips—two-thirds out of DCA—costing $3.9 million, roughly $2.2 million more than if government airfields had been used. James Comey took nearly 500 trips, half from DCA, adding $1.8 million in excess cost. Williamson pointed out that “Kash himself has significantly limited personal travel—but he’s allowed to take personal time on occasion to see family, friends, or his longtime girlfriend. He doesn’t do it often. He works far more full weekends than he does otherwise. And maybe most importantly—ask anyone who works for him, he’s on duty 24/7 regardless.”
Bad actors have been tracking Director Patel’s movements via widely available tracking apps that utilize the tail number or ADS-B operational identifier. The FBI has taken steps to prevent this tracking from continuing—a long-overdue development. In this highly volatile threat environment, stoked by Democrat assassination culture, it seems self-evident that broadcasting the Director’s departure and arrival times creates an unacceptable level of risk with no real benefit to the public.
In my opinion, having served over three years as an agent on the FBI’s Attorney General’s Protection Detail, creating and enhancing threat vectors by publicly broadcasting this information is beyond the pale and verges on the criminal.
The required-use traveler designation isn’t a privilege—it’s protection. The FBI Director, the Attorney General, and by extension the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury, and the Secretary of State all operate under the same national-security standard: constant secure communication and immediate command response. These aren’t perks; they’re continuity-of-government safeguards.
The CIA Director’s travel practices underscore the same logic. While not technically listed as a “required-use traveler” under Circular A-126, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency almost always flies on government aircraft for official travel because of security and secrecy requirements. These flights are operated either by the CIA’s own Air Branch or by the Department of Defense’s executive airlift fleet.
By contrast, the FBI Director’s requirement is absolute. Patel doesn’t choose to fly the G5; he’s compelled to. And under his leadership, the Bureau’s travel program is leaner and more disciplined than ever.
Williamson closed with a line that perfectly summarizes the Bureau’s posture: “This FBI is delivering—because of a great team working incredibly hard with Kash Patel and Dan Bongino at the helm. We have zero time for people who peddle trash because they have nothing better to do.”
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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