The FBI has dismissed one of its top officials following reports that Director Kash Patel used a government jet to attend his girlfriend’s performance, according to The Guardian. Steven Palmer, a 27-year bureau veteran who led the FBI’s critical incident response group, was fired Friday after Patel allegedly became enraged by media coverage of his personal travel.
Bloomberg Law first reported the firing, citing sources who said Patel demanded Palmer resign or be terminated after stories revealed he had flown on an FBI jet to see country singer Alexis Wilkins perform at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania. Flight logs showed the government plane later traveled to Nashville, before being blocked from public tracking.
Patel defended himself on X, calling the reports “baseless rumors” and condemning attacks on Wilkins as “disgraceful.” His spokesperson said Patel reimburses some costs for private flights and takes “significantly fewer personal trips” than former directors. Patel, who previously criticized ex-FBI chief Chris Wray for similar travel, has now dismissed three consecutive heads of the crisis unit since taking office in February.
Palmer’s ouster follows earlier firings of Wes Wheeler and Brian Driscoll, the latter now suing the Trump administration for wrongful termination. The controversy comes amid a 32-day government shutdown and as Patel faces criticism for exaggerating a supposed Halloween terror plot involving five Michigan youths — a case defense lawyers describe as “hysteria and fearmongering.”
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