Kash Patel's jet-setting hindered Charlie Kirk killing investigation: whistleblower

A whistleblower claimed Tuesday that FBI Director Kash Patel's personal use of the agency's plane delayed the bureau's investigation into the killing of MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus on Sept. 10, The New Republic reported.

"Sen. Dick Durbin says whistleblower has revealed '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,'" CBS reporter Scott McFarlane wrote on X.

The FBI has disputed this allegation.

"There’s publicly available info showing Director Patel in New York for the 9/11 ceremony the next morning - it wasn’t a personal flight," Ben Williamson, Assistant Director for Public Affairs at the FBI, wrote in response on X.

Patel has faced criticism after reports emerged that he used a government-owned FBI plane for personal travel with his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins. The use of federal aircraft for non-official purposes has raised concerns about misuse of taxpayer resources and potential violations of federal regulations governing government property. His most recent trip to the Winter Olympics in Italy, where he and the agency have said he long planned to attend and meet with security officials, has also come into question. Patel was seen partying in the locker room with the US men's hockey team after defeating Canada for the gold medal.