Overview
- FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson said armored BMW X5s were acquired for Patel as part of a fleet update and claimed the choice would save taxpayers money, but he declined to release cost records.
- The purchase departs from the FBI’s longstanding use of Chevrolet Suburbans, while similar armored BMWs are typically deployed by the State Department in higher‑risk overseas environments.
- Four sources told MS Now that Patel pressed for the BMWs so he could be “less conspicuous,” and law enforcement personnel said he is the first FBI director to regularly use this model.
- A person close to Patel asserted an armored Suburban would have cost about $480,000 per vehicle, a figure a Democratic aide disputed as inconsistent with how government fleet buys are priced.
- Reporting also details that Patel earlier pursued a new director’s jet estimated at $90–$115 million before the plan was dropped, and that he later ordered communications upgrades to the existing Gulfstream.