A whistleblower informed congressional investigators that FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of government planes for personal travel affected the agency’s ability to react swiftly to a mass shooting and other important events, according to documents given to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The claims, outlined in a letter from Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), suggest that Patel’s actions caused delays in sending evidence response teams to major crime scenes.
Durbin sent his letter on Feb. 24 to the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General and the Government Accountability Office. It relays the whistleblower’s claims that FBI jets were not available for crucial missions in December because one was being used by Patel for travel and another was out of service. Consequently, evidence response personnel for the Brown University mass shooting in Rhode Island had to drive overnight from Quantico, Virginia, through winter weather to reach the scene the next morning, according to the filing.
The Brown University shooting took place on Dec. 13, 2025, when an attacker opened fire on campus, causing multiple deaths and injuries. Local authorities led the initial response, and federal agents joined the investigation soon after. The whistleblower argues that the lack of available FBI aircraft slowed down evidence collection and processing, although the bureau claims its teams eventually arrived and provided support.
In another incident mentioned in the whistleblower material, Patel’s use of FBI planes allegedly impacted the deployment of a shooting reconstruction team to Utah after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September. Durbin’s letter states that pilots were not available until travel duty and rest requirements were fulfilled, which delayed the team’s departure.
A whistleblower just disclosed that FBI experts were delayed by AT LEAST A DAY in deploying to investigate Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Why?
There was an FBI plane and pilot shortage… because Kash Patel was using them for personal flights. pic.twitter.com/HhIGGIBV6P
— Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryDems) February 24, 2026
Durbin called the disclosures credible and urged both watchdog offices to investigate whether Patel’s decisions regarding aircraft usage hindered the bureau’s operational readiness. The senator requested inquiries into potential mismanagement of government resources and its effect on law enforcement responses.
A spokesperson for the FBI disputed the whistleblower’s account, stating the bureau provided necessary resources promptly and that claims of delays are inaccurate. In posts on social media, the FBI mentioned that its Boston Field Office and other units responded to Brown University in under two hours and noted that initial responsibility for the case fell to state and local authorities.
Patel has received public backlash for his travel on government planes. In the most recent incident, footage emerged from a trip to the Winter Olympics in Milan, where he celebrated the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win. With his use of federal jets for travel already under scrutiny, the FBI director remained defiant and said he was honored to be invited to the celebration.
Durbin’s letter also brought up several other instances where Patel’s management of aircraft resources reportedly made FBI jets unavailable when necessary, raising concerns among some lawmakers about the agency’s readiness and use of taxpayer funds.
Durbin said in his letter that investigations by the inspector general and Government Accountability Office could determine if changes in aircraft policy are needed to ensure quick response capabilities for critical FBI operations.
