FBI Director Kash Patel is facing internal friction from President Trump and external criticism from political opponents following a viral locker room celebration at the Milan Winter Olympics and questions regarding his use of government transport.
President Trump reportedly expressed personal disappointment to FBI Director Kash Patel regarding his conduct while celebrating with the U.S. men’s hockey team following their gold medal victory at the Winter Olympics in Milan, according to sources familiar with the matter. The controversy stems from a viral video showing Patel “yelling, banging on a table and gulping down a bottle of beer” in the locker room, an incident that drew the ire of the teetotaler president who also took issue with Patel’s use of a government aircraft for the trip.
While White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson bypassed the specifics of the incident to state that “the President has full confidence in his Administration” and his “law and order team,” the travel sparked a partisan firestorm, with Democrats like Xochitl Hinojosa questioning the Director’s focus amid ongoing security threats and missing persons cases. Patel dismissed the “very concerned media” on X, maintaining he was simply “humbled” to celebrate with “the boys,” a sentiment echoed by conservative media figures like Will Cain who argued “every proud American is smiling through every second of this video.” However, the optics remained divisive, as former soccer star Megan Rapinoe criticized the breach of locker room protocols, stating that such figures “would never be allowed in our locker rooms” under her leadership.