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In the wake of the outrage over FBI director Kash Patel flying to Italy on an FBI jet to watch the U.S. men’s hockey team compete for the gold medal at the Olympics, Patel’s use of FBI jets is now under further scrutiny.
As first reported by MS Now, a government whistleblower claims the FBI’s evidence response team was delayed in arriving at the Brown University mass shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, on December 13 because Patel had flown to South Florida on one of the FBI’s two jets and ordered the other plane to be held for another team. Therefore, the whistleblower alleges, the evidence response team had to drive through a winter storm overnight from Quantico, Virginia, to arrive at the Brown campus by 9 a.m. on December 14 to immediately process evidence.
On December 13, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who previously lived in Miami, killed two students and wounded nine others inside a Brown University classroom. Two days after the shooting, Valente killed his former classmate and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno Loureiro. Following a five-day manhunt, Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage unit in New Hampshire.
Confidential sources told MS Now that Patel flew to South Florida on one of the jets and did not return until the afternoon of December 14. An FBI official also said Patel, who was in South Florida when the shooting occurred, was visiting his elderly parents. New Times reviewed property records that indicate his parents live in South Florida.
Additionally, the whistleblower added, after news broke of the shooting, Patel ordered that the Hostage Rescue Team be on standby, which prevented any other FBI team from using the second plane. The Bureau’s evidence response teams are responsible for collecting forensic evidence from crime scenes.
On Tuesday, after hearing the whistleblower’s account, Illinois Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Justice’s inspector general, accusing Patel of misplaced priorities and mismanagement of FBI resources.
“The Director’s misplaced priorities and poor management of the FBI’s resources — including its aircraft — also harmed the FBI’s ability to respond to the shooting at Brown University on December 13, 2025,” Durbin wrote in the letter. “Once again, the shooting reconstruction team was set to respond to the scene immediately, but was unable to fly out of Richmond, Virginia, using one of the FBI’s planes.”
Back in May 2025, Durbin wrote a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting that it review the Justice Department’s use of government-owned aircraft, following reports that Patel jet-setted across the country to visit his girlfriend in Nashville and catch an NHL game in Long Island on government planes.
“The President has typically designated two executives within DOJ as ‘required use’ travelers — the Attorney General and the FBI Director — due to their need for special protective security measures and secure communications while in flight,” Durbin’s letter reads. “However, federal guidance requires that such travelers reimburse the government for any travel that is for political or personal reasons.
“Recent public reporting about FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of government-owned aircraft has raised questions about whether these rules are being consistently followed.”
Most recently, Patel, who had heavily criticized his predecessor, Christopher A. Wray, over his use of the FBI’s planes, faced backlash after a video surfaced of him celebrating in the locker room with the U.S. men’s hockey team following their gold medal win over Canada. Prior to the game, an FBI spokesperson said Patel’s trip was for law enforcement purposes, not personal reasons.
“It also cannot be ignored that the Director’s latest personal jaunt occurred on the same weekend an armed intruder attempted to breach President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence,” Durbin continued.
New Times emailed the FBI National Press Office for comment, but has not heard back as of press time.
Staff writer Alex Deluca contributed to the reporting of this story.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated if warranted.
