Grassley Probes Patel’s FBI Jet Use and BMW Purchases, Seeking May 19 Answers
Updated
Updated · CNN International · Jul 9
Grassley Probes Patel’s FBI Jet Use and BMW Purchases, Seeking May 19 Answers
3 articles · Updated · CNN International · Jul 9
Summary
A May 5 letter from Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley asked FBI Director Kash Patel to detail every FBI aircraft flight he took, its cost, and whether any travel was personal.
Grassley also demanded a cost breakdown for FBI BMW purchases versus Chevrolet Suburbans, including fuel and storage comparisons, framing the inquiry as a taxpayer-waste review.
The scrutiny intensified after Patel appeared in a viral Olympics locker-room video from Milan, where critics questioned whether an FBI Gulfstream supported a personal trip; the FBI says he held six public and two classified events there.
A post-9/11 rule requires the FBI director to use government aircraft even for personal travel so secure communications remain available, though reimbursement can still be at issue.
The inquiry overlaps with a separate Democratic probe and carries added irony because Patel said in 2024 that former Director Chris Wray did not need a government-funded jet.