The Federal Bureau of Investigation has dismissed one of its longest-serving officials following reports that Director Kash Patel used a government jet to visit his girlfriend. The firing has added new controversy to Patel’s leadership amid growing questions over his travel and management decisions.
According to reports, Steven Palmer, who joined the FBI in 1998, was removed from his role as head of the bureau’s Critical Incident Response Group. The unit handles national security threats and oversees the FBI’s fleet of aircraft. Palmer’s dismissal reportedly came after Patel became angry over press stories revealing that he flew on an agency jet to attend his girlfriend’s public performance.
The controversy began after Bloomberg Law published details of Patel’s flight to Pennsylvania, where his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, sang the national anthem at a wrestling event on October 25. Flight tracking data showed the FBI jet later continued to Nashville. The next day, Patel shared photos with Wilkins on his X account, which drew immediate attention to his travel.
According to Bloomberg, Patel was furious after media outlets reported that he used the FBI jet for personal reasons. Soon after, Palmer was reportedly told to either resign or face termination. His firing became official on Friday, marking the third leadership dismissal in the same unit since Patel took over as FBI director earlier this year.
Flight data for Patel’s government jet, registered as N708JH, has since been blocked from public tracking websites. Searches for the aircraft on Flight Aware now return a message stating the jet’s data is unavailable “per request from the owner or operator.”
In a statement posted on X, Patel dismissed the controversy as “baseless rumors.” He accused critics of spreading “fake news” and defended his personal life. Patel also condemned what he called “disgustingly baseless attacks” on Wilkins, describing her as “a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner.”
He further criticized unnamed allies for remaining silent during the scandal, saying, “Your silence is louder than the clickbait haters.”
Patel’s spokesperson, Ben Williamson, said the director is allowed to take limited personal trips and pays partial reimbursement for private use of government aircraft. He added that Patel has “significantly reduced” personal travel compared to former directors Chris Wray and James Comey.
Critics, however, have noted Patel’s past remarks about previous FBI directors’ use of government jets. In 2023, Patel mocked Wray’s travel habits, calling him a “#GovernmentGangster” and accusing him of wasting taxpayer money.
Palmer’s dismissal adds to a string of leadership changes in the FBI’s incident response division. Wes Wheeler was removed in March, and Brian Driscoll was fired in August. Driscoll later filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming his dismissal was politically motivated and due to his lack of loyalty to the president.
The flight controversy was first highlighted by former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin, now a vocal critic of the Trump administration. On his podcast, Seraphin condemned Patel’s actions, saying it was inappropriate for the FBI director to use government resources during a government shutdown. “We’re in the middle of a shutdown, and this guy is jetting off to hang out with his girlfriend in Nashville on our dime,” he said. The government shutdown was in its 32nd day when the flight occurred.
The controversy comes as Patel faces another challenge involving his public statements about a supposed Halloween terror plot. Last week, he claimed that five young men had been arrested for planning an attack. However, defense attorney Amir Makled, representing one of the suspects, accused Patel of “hysteria and fearmongering,” saying no real plot existed.
Makled told the Associated Press that his clients, aged 16 to 20, were simply gamers and that no illegal activity had been found.
The twin scandals have intensified scrutiny of Patel’s leadership and raised new concerns about the politicization of the FBI under his direction. Observers say the firing of senior officials like Palmer reflects growing instability inside the agency as it navigates political pressures and public criticism.
