NEED TO KNOW
- FBI Director Kash Patel has assigned SWAT team members as security details for his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins.
- The unusual use of FBI agents has been criticized as an abuse of power and a misuse of resources, and has raised concerns about possible delays in responding to other incidents.
- The criticism comes after Patel was criticized for using a government-owned plane for personal business.
FBI Director Kash Patel is facing criticism for using SWAT team members as security for his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins.
An FBI security detail is in place to protect the country singer, 27, from potential threats, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) reported, citing two people “with direct knowledge” of the situation.
The detachment, which is made up of elite agents who are normally assigned to the FBI’s Nashville field office, according to the outlet, has raised concerns that the unusual assignment could delay law enforcement’s response to emergency situations.
The atypical use of agents has also been criticized as an abuse of power and misuse of resources.
The New York Times reported that SWAT team resources have been diverted to Wilkins several times in recent months. Using agents with specialized, high-risk tasks in this way is highly unusual, the outlet reported, citing current and former FBI officials.
Alexis Wilkins/Instagram
Typically, associates of high-ranking FBI officials only receive security protection during joint trips. The wife of former FBI Director Christopher Wray was given protection when the couple traveled together, according to MS NOW.
The same is now true of Wilkins’ travels with Patel, 45, according to the Times.
SWAT officers protecting Wilkins, who spends time in Nashville for work, are separated from this security protection and may be slower (or completely unable) to respond to crisis situations developing in the Nashville area, MS NOW reported, citing anonymous sources.
Former FBI agent Christopher O’Leary, now a law enforcement contributor at MS NOW, reacted to the detail assigned to Wilkins, saying, «There is no legitimate justification.»
«This is a clear abuse of position and a misuse of government resources,» he continued, noting that Wilkins «is not his spouse» and «does not live in the same house or even the same city.» (The couple, who met in Nashville, do not live together; Patel’s legal residence is in Las Vegas, although he travels to Washington, D.C. often for work, according to MS NOW.)
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
O’Leary, who supervised a team that was assigned high-risk missions during his time at the FBI, offered further criticism of Patel while speaking with the Times.
“His abusive and excessive use of the GV Jet (a government-owned aircraft) for his personal adventures and assignment of SWAT-qualified special agents to protect his girlfriend are indicative of his lack of leadership experience, judgment and humility,” the former FBI agent said.
The FBI commented on Wilkins’ security protections in a statement obtained by MS NOW.
«Ms. Wilkins is receiving a protective detail because she has faced hundreds of credible death threats related to her relationship with Director Patel, whom she has been dating for three years,» the agency said. «Out of respect for their safety, we will not be providing additional details.»
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty
The criticism of Wilkins’ security team comes after her FBI director boyfriend came under scrutiny for his use of a government-owned plane to fly to see the country singer, despite previously criticizing his predecessor Wray’s use of private jets.
In October, Patel allegedly used a $60 million plane owned by the FBI to travel to State College, Pennsylvania, where Wilkins performed the national anthem at a wrestling event at Penn State University’s Bryce Jordan Center, according to The Daily Beast and The New Republic.
He has also used a government plane for other recreational trips, including a golf trip to Scotland over the summer, according to the Times.
Patel responded to what he described as «unfounded rumors or noise from uninformed Internet anarchists and fake news,» in an X post on November 2, although he did not specifically address his use of a private jet.
In the same post, he also defended Wilkins, who he said was the subject of «disgusting and baseless attacks,» as a «true patriot and the woman I am proud to call my partner in life.»
