FBI Director Kash Patel has fired a man he believes is responsible for media reports revealing Patel’s use of an FBI jet to fly to an event where his girlfriend performed, according to recent reports.
Bloomberg Law reported on Saturday that Patel forced out Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI. Palmer had served as the third head of the critical incident response group—which includes FBI pilots—to be fired or removed during Patel’s brief tenure. This move adds to what Bloomberg described as “a year filled with retributive terminations.”
Palmer’s departure was made official on Friday. A replacement to lead the bureau’s crisis management operations, including hostage rescue and bomb detection, has already been posted on the FBI’s website.
Sources speaking anonymously revealed that Patel was angered by social media posts and news stories highlighting his use of an FBI jet that arrived in State College, Pennsylvania. The jet was used to attend an event where his girlfriend, country music artist Alexis Wilkins, sang the national anthem at a wrestling match.
“Palmer was told he needed to immediately resign or be fired, which was at least partially connected to Patel’s fury over the negative media cycle regarding his personal travel,” the report stated. However, those familiar with the matter expressed confusion over why Patel would blame Palmer for the details of the travel leak.
Ex-prosecutor Ron Filipkowski commented on the situation, saying, “Kash fired the guy he thinks outed him for taking another private jet flight to see his girlfriend sing.”
https://www.rawstory.com/kash-patel-girlfriend-2674257020/
