Embattled FBI Director Kash Patel Accused of 'Using Government Plane for $50K Concert Date Night' With Much-Younger Girlfriend
Kash Patel allegedly used the FBI's plane to whisk girlfriend Alexis Wilkins away to a concert date night.
May 16 2026, Published 4:17 p.m. ET
Embattled FBI Director Kash Patel is under fire after allegedly using the bureau's jet to fly his girlfriend to a lavish concert date night on the taxpayers’ dime, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
It's the latest revelation about Patel's use of government resources for his personal leisure, coming on the heels of news that he went on a VIP snorkeling trip in the sacred waters of Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, where World War II wreckage lies.
Kash Patel and Alexis Wilkins Allegedly Stayed in $50K Suite at Concert
Kash Patel allegedly used the FBI's jet to fly himself and his girlfriend to a concert in Philly.
Patel, 46, allegedly whisked his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, from Virginia to Philadelphia in May 2025 to see George Strait and Chris Stapleton in concert, then returned home immediately after the show wrapped up.
The New York Times reported that the duo watched the concert from a private suite at Lincoln Financial Field that cost between $35,000 and $50,000.
The bureau claimed to the outlet that country singer Wilkins, 27, was "an invited guest" of the performers, who did not respond to the paper's request for comment.
"Through an F.B.I. spokesman, Mr. Patel declined to respond to questions about who financed the outing for himself and Ms. Wilkins," the Times reported, about how the duo used the FBI's Gulfstream V jet and had its crew as well as a security detail on overtime waiting for the concert to end.
Kash Patel Allegedly Gave Girlfriend Alexis Wilkins FBI Protection Detail
Kash Patel allegedly assigned agents to Nashville to assist in guarding his girlfriend.
The details about the pricey concert date came as part of a larger investigation by the Times into growing scrutiny over the FBI chief’s alleged "side trips," including excursions to "V.I.P. suites for events, leisure activities or nights out with his girlfriend."
The Times reported that Patel made the unprecedented move of giving Wilkins government protection, as he allegedly "transferred agents from other field offices to Nashville, where she lives, and assigned four SWAT agents and two SUVs to guard and transport her on personal errands," with the cost to taxpayers amounting to "about $1million a year, with additional overtime, vehicle and other expenses."
Kash Patel's 'Horrifying' Snorkel Trip Around Sacred Pearl Harbor Wreckage
Kash Patel reportedly went on a VIP snorkel trip around the wreckage of the U.S.S. Arizona.
The outlet also provided more details on Patel's snorkeling trip around the wreckage of the U.S.S. Arizona at the Pearl Harbor memorial, which has long been revered as “one of the military’s most sacred sites,” where more than 900 sailors lost their lives in the bombing by Japanese aircraft in 1941.
Patel and nine other yet unnamed guests were escorted on a 'V.I.P. snorkel" trip by Navy SEALs on two boats to the hallowed location.
The nation's top cop then "swam in the vicinity of the tomb for 30 minutes, according to the Navy," the paper reported.
"This is a war grave with the same legal status as Arlington National Cemetery," Navy veteran and professor emeritus of history at the U.S. Naval Academy, William M. McBride, shared while calling Patel's actions "horrifying."
McBride noted, "Snorkeling around Arizona is as disrespectful as playing kickball on top of the graves at Arlington."
Pearl Harbor Snorkeling Was Part of 'An Official Trip'
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An FBI spokesperson defended Kash Patel's snorkeling trip.
An FBI spokesperson battled back that Patel's snorkeling adventure was part of an "official trip."
"As part of our engagements in the Indo-Pacific theater, the IndoPacom Commander graciously offered to host the Director and team at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, as they commonly do with U.S. government officials on official travel," the bureau's rep claimed.
They added: "This was part of the Director’s public national security engagements last August with counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, our Honolulu Field Office, and the Department of War."
