Last week, news broke that Patel travelled to see his girlfriend, 26-year-old country music singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at the Real American Freestyle event held at Pennsylvania State University.
What turned this from a personal trip into a controversy was how he got there, allegedly using an FBI jet for what appears to have been primarily a personal visit.
The trouble began for Patel when Wilkins posted a selfie with him from the event which led to social media figuring out how the FBI director got there.
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According to flight logs from FlightAware, the jet appeared to have taken a roughly 40-minute-long flight from the Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia to the State College Regional Airport.
Roughly two and a half hours later, the jet departed from State College for Nashville, where Wilkins lives.
Over on X, the FBI Director has now fired back at what he believes is an attempt to smear his 'rock-solid conservative' partner.
“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 declared. “She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes. I’m so blessed she’s in my life.”
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Patel claimed that the public attention on him and his girlfriend 'jeopardises their safety' and criticised his 'supposed allies staying silent.'
He added: “I’ve always said — criticize me all you want. But going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace.”
The situation reached a breaking point when Patel reportedly became so angry about the media coverage that he forced out a senior FBI official who had served at the agency for 27 years, as per Bloomberg Law.
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However, what Patel conspicuously didn't mention was the core of the controversy. In other words, whether he appropriately used a government jet for the trip, or why Steven Palmer, the FBI veteran overseeing aviation operations, was reportedly removed from his position.
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Palmer was pushed out even though Patel's flight logs were publicly available information, which first reported the veteran federal employee's departure, Bloomberg reported.
Patel’s spokesperson, Ben Williamson, also defended his boss on X, calling the ongoing criticism 'disingenuous and dumb.'
“He’s allowed to take personal time on occasion to see family, friends or his longtime girlfriend. He doesn’t do it often,” Williamson said.
Williamson argued that Patel had 'significantly limited' personal travel compared with his predecessors and pointed out that the director 'pays a reimbursement in advance.'