The controversy began when Alexis Wilkins, a 26-year-old country singer and Patel’s girlfriend, posted photos on Instagram from her Real American Freestyle Wrestling event at Penn State University on October 25. In one photo, Patel could be seen in the crowd wearing an FBI hoodie.

Soon after, former FBI agent and MAGA podcaster Kyle Seraphin claimed to have found flight data showing a Department of Justice aircraft leaving Manassas, Virginia, landing in State College, Pennsylvania, and later flying to Nashville, Tennessee — where Wilkins lives — before continuing to Texas the next morning.

> “We’re in the middle of a government shutdown where FBI employees aren’t even getting paid,” Seraphin said. “And this guy is using a taxpayer-funded jet to hang out with his girlfriend in Nashville?”

Critics say the timing couldn’t be worse, with thousands of federal workers currently unpaid during the ongoing government shutdown.

FBI Responds to the Allegations

The FBI confirmed Patel’s use of the aircraft but said no rules were broken. Under agency policy, the FBI director is classified as a “required-use traveler”, meaning he must use official aircraft for security and communication reasons.

However, if any portion of a trip is personal, the director must reimburse the government at the equivalent of a commercial airline rate — even though the true cost of operating the jet is far higher.

Still, many argue that the optics are damaging. Patel, a strong Trump ally, previously criticized former FBI Director Christopher Wray in 2023 for using the same type of government plane for personal travel.

What’s Still Unclear

It remains uncertain whether Patel had official business in Pennsylvania or Nashville that weekend, or if the trip was purely personal. The amount he reimbursed the government if any has also not been disclosed.

While Patel’s team insists everything was handled “by the book,” the situation has fueled new questions about ethics, accountability, and transparency in how top officials use government resources particularly during a time when millions of Americans are feeling the financial impact of the shutdown.

The Bigger Picture

Even if Patel followed policy, critics say the move shows poor judgment. Flying a multimillion-dollar FBI jet to a concert or wrestling event, at a time when the government can’t pay many of its own workers  sends the wrong message.

Whether or not the flight was technically allowed, it’s a reminder that perception matters just as much as policy when it comes to public trust.