The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, has been raising eyebrows with prolific travel since the spring, according to the Daily Beast.
Since being sworn in, 45-year-old Patel has taken three flights on an FBI private jet to visit his 26-year-old girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, in Nashville. He has also flown to two hockey games and a UFC fight using taxpayers' money.
In the comment section of an Instagram post by Wilkins featuring Patel and Wilkins together, one user wrote, "simply embarrassing."
Another commented, "sad…"
Patel is required to fly on FBI planes in order to maintain access to secure communications equipment. Directors reimburse the government for flights taken with federal planes, but they do so at commercial rates.
This isn't the first time someone has wasted taxpayer money on executive travel.
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In 2013, the Government Accountability Office found that $11.4 million had been spent to fly the Attorney General and FBI director for business unrelated to their posts. Patel himself criticized previous FBI director Chris Wray for his travel habits. This wastefulness is set to continue as the FBI recently requested to purchase another plane.
In addition to being a frustrating show of excessive spending, private jet travel is a disproportionate source of air pollution.
One study suggested that two of Jeff Bezos' planes emit more annually than the average Amazon employee could in 207 years. Another study suggested that the 250,000 people who used private jets in 2023 polluted 17.2 million tons of carbon dioxide. It's the same amount of pollution the population of Tanzania (67 million) creates in a year.
This pollution exacerbates destructive weather patterns like floods, droughts, and heat waves. And these extreme weather events only create higher agricultural, housing, and ecological costs.
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It's important to hold those in power accountable for their waste. Advocating for and participating in low-impact travel options can help decrease the negative side effects of atmospheric pollution as well.
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