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Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has joined Democratic colleagues in requesting more information on FBI Director Kash Patel’s flights and his department’s purchase of BMW vehicles, according to a new report.
MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian reported on Thursday that Grassley sent a letter to Patel demanding information as whistleblower accounts to Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary committees have red-flagged Patel’s taxpayer-backed travel as the head of the FBI.
“For each trip where you used an FBI aircraft for personal travel, have you reimbursed the FBI as required by law? If yes, please provide the records,” Grassley wrote in his letter.
He called for an “independent and objective review” of Patel’s travel and asked for a reason why the FBI “decided to purchase BMW vehicles instead of Chevy Suburbans.”
Patel “pressed the FBI” for the purchase of multiple BMW vehicles with special armor plating, MS NOW reported in December, citing sources familiar with the situation.
“Government agencies, including the FBI, routinely evaluate, replace and update vehicle fleets based on usage, security needs or budgetary decisions,” FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson said at the time.
The purchase raised some concerns as the FBI had a long-standing policy of purchasing Chevrolet Suburban SUVs.
Patel’s personal jet travel as the head of the FBI has also raised concern with critics. Officials have said Patel reimburses travel that is personal, which equates to what he would fork over typically for commercial travel.
Democratic lawmakers specifically noted a “VIP snorkel” trip Patel reportedly took. According to a report based on government emails purportedly obtained by the Associated Press, Patel took an “exclusive excursion” around the sunken USS Arizona battleship, a Pearl Harbor memorial during a trip to Hawaii.
“Your VIP snorkeling experience in Hawaii was not an isolated incident,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote in a letter. “You frequently demand special perks on ‘official’ trips around the globe, such as a taxpayer-funded helicopter tour during your multi-country jaunt across East Asia and other recreational activities like jet skiing.”
The lawmakers cited a source who told them Patel told field office personnel in a meeting, “If you have golf, hockey, fishing, or hunting and beautiful sights, you’re going to see a lot of me.”
“This is not the conduct of a committed and faithful public servant, especially one entrusted with ensuring the safety of almost 350 million Americans,” they wrote.
They also said they “appreciate Chairman Grassley raising these concerns, which mirror those raised repeatedly by House and Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats.”
The post Democrats Gain Powerful Republican Ally in Demand for Answers About Kash Patel’s FBI Spending and Travel first appeared on Mediaite.
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