Overview
- An FBI spokesperson said Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of Director Kash Patel, has received hundreds of credible threats tied to their relationship and now has a bureau security detail.
- MS NOW first reported, and multiple outlets echoed, that agents typically assigned to the Nashville field office’s SWAT team are part of the detail.
- People familiar with FBI security practices said they know of no precedent for a non-spouse partner who does not share a residence with the director receiving a government-staffed detail, and some warned of diverting tactical agents from emergencies.
- Reactions were sharply divided, with Rep. Eric Swalwell endorsing protection for Wilkins while saying his own threats are unaddressed, and Adam Kinzinger calling the arrangement corrupt.
- The disclosure extends scrutiny of Patel’s use of an FBI jet for trips linked to Wilkins—travel he is required to make on government aircraft with personal legs reimbursed—as Wilkins pursues defamation suits over spy claims and reports a recent swatting incident targeting her family.