#nashville
2 entries with this tag
Kash Patel — Who Spent Years Attacking the Old FBI Director for Using a Jet — Now Has Two Government Jets, Wants an $80 Million Third, Bought Armored BMWs Instead of Suburbans, Put a $1M/Year SWAT Detail on His Country-Singer Girlfriend, and Demanded Snorkeling and Jet-Ski Perks — Until a Republican Who Defended Him Turned
FBI Director Kash Patel — who for years publicly attacked his predecessor Christopher Wray for using a government jet ("Chris Wray doesn't need a government-funded GV jet to go to vacation") — is now under bipartisan scrutiny for exactly that and more. The turning point: Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican who had previously defended Patel, sent him a letter demanding proof he reimbursed the FBI for personal flights and an explanation of "why you decided to purchase BMW vehicles instead of Chevy Suburbans," calling for an "independent and objective review." Reporting and whistleblower accounts describe: FBI Gulfstream flights for "date nights" with his girlfriend, sporting events, a hunting retreat, and a George Strait/Chris Stapleton concert watched from a private suite estimated at $35,000–$50,000; a trip to Italy to watch U.S. hockey win gold (he chugged a beer in the locker room); a taxpayer-funded helicopter tour across East Asia and jet-ski excursions; a "VIP snorkeling experience" in Hawaii near the sunken USS Arizona; four FBI SWAT agents and two SUVs assigned to protect his country-singer girlfriend Alexis Wilkins in Nashville — an estimated ~$1 million a year before overtime; a fleet of armored BMWs replacing the standard Chevy Suburbans; and the bureau now seeking a new $80 million jet, after Patel was caught on camera bragging he "has two." Reps. Jamie Raskin and Sen. Dick Durbin, citing whistleblowers, said Patel demoted personnel in Brussels for failing to keep him entertained and that his conduct is "out of control" and "not the conduct of a committed and faithful public servant." One source quoted him telling field offices: "If you have golf, hockey, fishing, or hunting and beautiful sights, you're going to see a lot of me." Patel says FBI directors are "required users of the FBI plane" and that he is "entitled to a personal life"; the FBI says he "reimbursed ALL personal travel." All of it lands as Patel asks Congress for a $12 billion FBI budget.
Nashville Journalist Detained 16 Days by ICE for Covering Immigration — Stripped, Doused in Chemicals, Isolated
Estefany Rodríguez, a Spanish-language reporter who covers ICE for Nashville Noticias, was arrested without a warrant while her husband parked at a gym. She spent 16 days detained: 5 in isolation after guards falsely claimed lice, stripped naked and doused in chemicals.