US EditionFBI Director Kash Patel celebrates with USA men's hockey team after gold medal win
Kash Patel celebrated Team USA's first Olympic men's hockey gold medal in 46 years while attending official Olympic security meetings, drawing both praise and criticism.
- On Sunday, February 22, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel attended the Olympic final and celebrated in the U.S. men's hockey team locker room after their 2-1 overtime victory.
- On Thursday, Patel flew to the Milan Cortina Games on the FBI Gulfstream jet, a trip estimated to cost $75,000, FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson said it included meetings with Italian law enforcement and the U.S. consulate.
- Patel posted four photos from the win on X and Instagram, writing `Unity, Sacrifice, Attitude- what it takes to be the best in the world`, while viral clips showed him drinking with players on Dylan Larkin's Instagram Live.
- Critics renewed questions about Patel's past use of agency jets and personal travel, while the FBI did not respond to a Sunday comment request and Ben Williamson called NBC's theory 'false'.
- Questions about agency travel policy and oversight have resurfaced following Patel's Milan trip, the first Olympic visit by an active FBI director since Robert Mueller in 2003, amid other high-profile cases.
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195 Articles
Patel's appearance at U.S. men's hockey celebration renews scrutiny of FBI director's travels
The episode deepened questions about Patel's personal travels, a persistent storyline from the first year of his tenure not only because of their frequency but also because he had chastised his predecessor, Chris Wray, for his use of the FBI plane.
Kash Patel Responds After Video Of Him Partying In The Locker Room With Gold Medal Winning US Hockey Team Sparks Backlash
FBI Director Kash Patel was criticized after responding to outrage toward a video that surfaced showing him chugging a beer and wearing a gold medal in the locker room of the USA Men's Olympics Hockey team.On Thursday, Patel traveled to the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics aboard an FBI Gulfstream aircraft, according to sources cited by reporters Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig. The report estimated the journey to Milan may have cost taxpayers …
Kash Patel Pushes Back Against the Media...
(Milan, Italy) – FBI Director Kash Patel is responding to criticism after appearing in a Team USA locker room celebration following a major victory. Images circulating online show Patel celebrating alongside U.S. athletes while holding an American flag. The appearance quickly drew scrutiny from some media commentators and critics who questioned whether the nation’s top federal law enforcement official should be present in a postgame locker room …
Dem lawmaker claims Kash Patel 'does not love America' when asked about FBI head cheering Team USA at Olympics
Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said FBI Director Kash Patel "does not love America" in response to a question Monday about the FBI director's presence at the Winter Olympics hockey game on Sunday in Milan, Italy — specifically Patel celebrating in the locker room with the Team USA men's team after they won gold.CNN host John Berman noted that, "FBI Director Kash Patel — and I think we have those pictures — was in the locker room afterwards enjoying…
Kash Patel defends Olympic locker room celebration in Italy | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
WASHINGTON >> FBI Director Kash Patel is defending his weekend beer-soaked locker-room celebration with the victorious U.S. men’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Milan, saying he had been in Italy on official business and would pay his own way for personal activities.
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