00:00FBI Director Cash Patel is facing renewed criticism after video showed him celebrating
00:04with the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team following its gold medal victory over Canada at the Winter
00:09Games in Italy. The footage, which circulated widely on X, showed Patel in the locker room
00:14with players, at one point chugging beer as the team celebrated. The appearance came shortly after
00:18the athletes were recognized during President Donald Trump's State of the Union address.
00:22Amid scrutiny over the trip, the New York Times obtained and published Patel's official schedule.
00:26According to the report, Patel traveled to Rome on February 19th and had dinner that evening with
00:31U.S. ambassador to Italy, Tilman Fertitta. The next day included a meeting with Italy's domestic
00:36security agency, a photo opportunity with Italian law enforcement, and a visit to the interior
00:40ministry that listed snacks and drinks on the agenda. He later flew to Milan to attend a hockey
00:45game. The schedule indicated that on Saturday, Patel participated in a 20-minute Olympic security
00:50briefing and a 30-minute tour of the Joint Security Operations Center, followed by a private lunch.
00:55The remainder of the afternoon was marked as personal time-slash-cultural activities,
00:59before a private dinner. On Sunday, the schedule showed attendance at the gold medal game and a
01:03return flight to the United States that evening. Patel has defended the trip, stating that the
01:07locker room celebration represented only a small portion of his time abroad, and that he also
01:12engaged in official meetings related to security coordination. Critics have questioned whether the
01:16balance of official duties and personal activities justified the use of government aircraft,
01:20with some estimates placing travel costs in the tens of thousands of dollars.
01:24The controversy follows prior scrutiny over Patel's reported use of FBI resources,
01:28including earlier travel that drew criticism from lawmakers and ethics watchdogs.
01:32One whistleblower has alleged misuse of government aircraft in other instances,
01:36though no formal findings have been publicly released. In response to backlash, Patel wrote that
01:40he was extremely humbled to be invited into the locker room by the gold medal-winning players,
01:44and said he was proud to celebrate the team's achievement. The FBI has not announced any internal
01:49review regarding the Italy trip. Drop your thoughts in the comments and don't forget to like for more
01:53breaking political news.
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