FBI Director Kash Patel defended his relationship with country music singer Alexis Wilkins following a wave of online criticism that surfaced over the weekend.
The backlash stemmed from reports that Patel used an FBI jet to visit Wilkins, who performed the national anthem at a wrestling event held at Penn State University on October 25.
“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 wrote on X.
“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.”
Patel’s post also criticized his allies who have not publicly defended the couple.
“To our supposed allies staying silent — your silence is louder than the clickbait haters,” he said, adding that attacks on Wilkins “jeopardize our safety.”
I am proud of the work of this FBI. We’re taking violent criminals off the streets in record numbers, crushing the fentanyl crisis, dismantling cartels, saving children, hunting down terrorists — and so much more.
Let me be clear: we will not be distracted by baseless rumors or…
— Kash Patel (@Kash_Patel) November 2, 2025
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The controversy began when former FBI agent and commentator Kyle Seraphin highlighted Patel’s official flight records, noting a trip coinciding with Wilkins’ performance at the Real American Freestyle professional wrestling event in Pennsylvania.
Seraphin questioned the timing and purpose of the travel, given the ongoing federal government shutdown affecting agency employees.
“We’re in the middle of a government shutdown where they’re not even gonna pay all of the employees that work for the agency that this guy heads, and this guy is jetting off to hang out with his girlfriend in Nashville on our dime?” Seraphin said on his program.
He later accused Patel and Wilkins of “grifting off the American public,” sparking widespread online criticism directed toward the couple.
Following the release of the travel records, reports surfaced that Steven Palmer, a 27-year FBI veteran overseeing the bureau’s aviation units, had been forced out of his position.
According to Bloomberg Law, individuals familiar with the situation said Palmer was given the option to resign or be terminated, allegedly due in part to Patel’s anger over the leaked flight information.
When asked for comment, FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson dismissed media coverage of the situation.
He said headlines attacking Patel were “disingenuous and dumb.”
Federal policy requires FBI directors to use government aircraft for all travel, both official and personal, due to security protocols.
Directors are required to reimburse the government for any personal portions of travel.
Patel has previously criticized former FBI Director Chris Wray for his own use of bureau aircraft for non-official purposes, calling such behavior inappropriate at the time.
The current scrutiny over Patel’s travel has drawn comparisons between the two, though the FBI maintains that directors are obligated to use government planes for safety reasons.
Wilkins, a Nashville-based country artist, has performed at a number of patriotic events and was recently featured at the Real American Freestyle competition in State College, Pennsylvania.
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