FBI Director Patel Jet Trip Prompts Lawsuit, Ouster

Public flight logs show FBI Director Kash Patel traveled on government aircraft (flight N708JH) to attend girlfriend Alexis Wilkins’ performance at Penn State on Oct. 25, landing near State College before later flying to Nashville. Bloomberg Law and Firstpost reported Patel grew enraged after media coverage and forced out Steven Palmer, a 27‑year bureau veteran who led the critical incident response group and oversaw the FBI’s aviation fleet. Conservative podcaster Kyle Seraphin amplified claims that Wilkins was a “honeypot” or former Mossad agent, and Wilkins filed a $5 million defamation suit. Patel defended Wilkins on X, calling the accusations “disgustingly baseless” and condemning the attacks. The FBI said the travel complied with regulations and Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson defended Patel, who said the Bureau would remain focused on law‑enforcement priorities.