By Annie Grayer, CNN
(CNN) – Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley has written to FBI Director Kash Patel, asking him to explain his use of FBI aircraft and the purchase of BMWs. This letter was obtained by House and Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats and reviewed by CNN, showing that Grassley is looking into Patel’s spending of taxpayer dollars.
In a letter dated May 5, Grassley requests a detailed list of each flight Patel took on an FBI plane, including costs and whether the flights were for personal or official reasons. If any flight was for personal purposes, he wants to know if Patel has reimbursed the government. Grassley also asks for a cost breakdown comparing the BMW purchases with a similar Chevy Suburban, along with details about fuel and storage.
The FBI director has sparked controversy recently, especially after a video surfaced showing him drinking beer in the Team USA men’s hockey team locker room following the Olympic gold-medal game in February. This raised concerns about his use of FBI resources for what seemed like a personal trip. The FBI claims that Patel was in Milan officially and attended six public events as well as two classified meetings related to Olympic security.
The agency defended Patel’s travel expenses in a social media post stating, “This FBI is more efficient and effective in every way” while noting that his personal travel costs are lower compared to those incurred by former directors Chris Wray and James Comey.
A lot of criticism surrounding Patel’s Olympics trip focuses on his usage of an FBI Gulfstream jet for personal trips since he took office.
This criticism isn’t new; previous FBI directors have faced similar scrutiny over their travel habits. Interestingly enough, before becoming director himself, Patel had criticized Wray for using the FBI plane, suggesting it should be kept grounded.
“Chris Wray doesn’t need a government-funded G-5 jet to go to vacation,” Patel stated during an appearance on Glenn Beck’s podcast in 2024. “Maybe we ground that plane – $15,000 every time it takes off.”
However, just like it wasn’t up to Wray back then, Patel also doesn’t get a say in how he travels.
A regulation set after 9/11 mandates that both the attorney general and since 2011, the FBI director must use government planes for all travel-including personal trips. According to the Justice Department, this policy ensures secure communication between top officials like the president and those heading agencies like the FBI in case national security issues arise or other emergencies occur.
Grassley has given Patel until May 19 to respond voluntarily.
In his letter, Grassley points out other occasions when he looked into an FBI director’s spending practices.
“For decades, regardless of which political party is in the White House, I have worked to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are protected from waste, fraud, and abuse,” Grassley wrote.
CNN has reached out to Grassley’s office for further comments.
This inquiry by Grassley comes as House and Senate Democrats have initiated their own investigation into Patel’s expenditures based on whistleblower accounts among other references.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. CNN’s Evan Perez and Isabelle Khurshudyan contributed to this report.
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™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. CNN’s Evan Perez and Isabelle Khurshudyan contributed to this report.
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