FBI Director Kash Patel is facing internal questions over what critics say is his unusual reliance on taxpayer-funded security resources — including FBI SWAT teams — to guard himself and his girlfriend, The New York Times reported Sunday.
The Times says several current and former FBI officials have expressed concern that Patel's use of elite tactical units and government aircraft is stretching the bounds of standard bureau practice.
Patel, who took over the bureau earlier this year, has reportedly leaned heavily on government transportation, even using a federal jet for recreational travel.
One trip highlighted by the Times included a summer golf outing with friends at a private resort in Scotland.
While FBI directors must use secure government aircraft for official travel, the Times notes that using the plane for personal trips — including leisure flights and visits to his girlfriend, Nashville-based singer Alexis Wilkins — has raised eyebrows inside the bureau.
Security arrangements for Wilkins have drawn the sharpest scrutiny.
According to the Times, Patel's detail has repeatedly assigned FBI SWAT agents to protect Wilkins when she attends events or travels with Patel — an unusual move given that SWAT teams are typically reserved for high-risk warrants, dangerous arrests, and counterterror operations, not VIP escort duties.
Former FBI officials told the paper that SWAT teams are not trained for routine protective work and are rarely used in this fashion.
Some on the political right, including prominent conservative commentators who have supported Patel in the past, have openly questioned why Wilkins is receiving bureau protection.
Influencer Grace Chong asked on X whether Wilkins is being treated as Patel's spouse, and why taxpayers are funding her security.
"Is she considered Kash's spouse? Is that why she's getting protection because if not then why are we paying for this?" Chong posted last week.
Patel's defenders say Wilkins has received credible threats because of her relationship with the director.
His spokesman, Ben Williamson, told the Times that "hundreds" of threats justified the protective measures and that Patel's transportation spending is comparable to that of former directors Christopher Wray and James Comey.
Even so, the paper reports that SWAT deployments have occurred multiple times, including in Nashville and Las Vegas, where Patel maintains a residence that has been targeted in at least one swatting incident.
In another instance, a tactical team was pulled back into service shortly after responding to the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk in Utah, then reassigned to Wilkins for an event in Salt Lake City.
Patel's overseas travel has also drawn attention. The Times reports Wilkins accompanied him on a May trip to the United Kingdom, where Patel attended a security conference. FBI assets, including embassy vehicles, were used to transport her.
The Times notes that Patel — the first unmarried FBI director since J. Edgar Hoover — has pushed back hard on his critics, calling attacks on Wilkins "baseless."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.