Senator Dick Durbin Shares Whistleblower Claims That Kash Patel's Jet Use Delayed Major FBI Investigations

FBI agents assigned to gather evidence at the Brown University mass shooting in December were compelled to drive overnight from Quantico, Virginia, to Providence, Rhode Island, amid a winter storm because Director Kash Patel was using one of the bureau's two available jets in south Florida and had placed a hold on the other, according to a whistleblower account shared with Congress on 24 February.

Senator Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, revealed the allegation in a letter sent Tuesday to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG). Durbin called on both bodies to investigate Patel's use of government aircraft, citing what he described as 'irresponsible joyriding on DOJ and FBI-operated aircraft at the expense of the American taxpayer and to the detriment of ongoing Bureau operations,' according to The Hill.

The shooting at Brown University took place on 13 December 2025. According to the whistleblower's account, Patel was in South Florida that day with one of the FBI's two available jets and had ordered the second jet held for another team that would not normally have been deployed to the scene. As a result, the FBI's evidence response team drove through the night and arrived in Providence by 9am the following morning to begin processing the scene, Bloomberg reported.

Charlie Kirk Investigation Also Cited

Durbin's letter also raised concerns about the September 2025 death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah. According to the senator, the FBI's shooting reconstruction team's deployment was delayed by at least a day due to a shortage of bureau planes and pilots caused by Patel's personal travel schedule, CNN reported.

Kirk was killed on 10 September 2025. Patel's spokesperson Ben Williamson rejected that claim outright, posting on X that 'Kash was in DC on 9/10 and in New York the next day for the 9/11 ceremonies - not personal travel.' He added: 'Durbin and whoever he's speaking to are full of it.'

Williamson also pushed back on the Brown University allegation. 'There would not be a situation where the FBI delayed or couldn't send resources because of the Director's travel, especially in this case,' he wrote. 'This is a ridiculous claim.' He noted that the Brown University incident was initially investigated by the state and that Patel had offered the plane regardless.

Italy Trip Adds Fuel to Controversy

Durbin's letter arrived days after Patel drew public scrutiny for travelling to Milan on an FBI jet during the 2026 Winter Olympics. Video footage showed Patel in the locker room celebrating with the US men's gold medal-winning ice hockey team on 22 February, chugging beer and singing. The FBI had previously insisted the trip was for scheduled official meetings and denied that Patel went 'to hang out at the Olympics on the taxpayer dime.' Durbin described that explanation as 'a false claim' given what the video footage showed.

The senator noted that while FBI directors are required to fly privately for security reasons, personal leisure should not shape operational decisions. He also cited a remark Patel allegedly made to FBI field office staff earlier in his tenure: 'If you have golf, hockey, fishing, or hunting and beautiful sights, you're going to see a lot of me.' Durbin described this as evidence of 'misplaced priorities.' Patel has previously criticised his predecessor, former director Chris Wray, for using the FBI plane, Reuters reported.

The FBI has three jets based in Virginia for operational and director travel, as well as a fleet of propeller aircraft stationed across the country. Under existing rules, Patel is required to reimburse the government the equivalent cost of a commercial airline ticket for personal trips - a figure critics note is a fraction of the actual cost of operating an FBI jet, which can run to tens of thousands of dollars per flight.

Durbin urged the GAO to incorporate the new whistleblower disclosures into an existing review already underway and called on the DOJ's OIG to open a separate investigation. He wrote that 'the FBI cannot afford to have its resources further stretched by a director who views its staff and aircraft as a means to support his jet-setting lifestyle.'

Durbin has asked the GAO to incorporate the allegations into an existing review of DOJ aircraft use and has urged the OIG to open a separate investigation.

Patel has not personally responded to the latest claims. The watchdog bodies have not yet announced whether a formal probe will begin.