Mastodawn

When #KashPatel visited Hawaii last summer, the #FBI took pains to note the director was not on vacation, highlighting his walking tour of the bureau’s Honolulu field office & meetings with local law enforcement.

Left out of FBI’s news releases was an exclusive snorkeling excursion that Patel took….

#law #Trump #corruption #taxpayers #GovernmentSpending #SelfEnrichment
https://apnews.com/article/fbi-kash-patel-snorkel-hawaii-pearl-harbor-192a81cde7a5879aab747bc0ba4b78b9

Emails show Kash Patel went on a 'VIP snorkel' at Pearl Harbor

Government emails obtained by The Associated Press show that FBI Director Kash Patel went on a “VIP snorkel” session last summer at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. The FBI didn't publicize the excursion or Patel's return to Hawaii after official visits to Australia and New Zealand. With few exceptions, snorkeling and diving are off-limits around the USS Arizona. The battleship is now a military cemetery reachable only by boat. It has stood as one of the nation’s most hallowed sites since Japan bombed and sank the ship in 1941. A Navy spokesperson confirms the outing but says the service wasn't able to track down who initiated it.

AP News

Show thread

Nonilex 4d ago

#KashPatel participated in what govt ofcls described as a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona in an outing coordinated by the military. The sunken battleship entombs >900 sailors & Marines at Pearl Harbor.

The swim, revealed in govt emails obtained by AP, comes to light amid criticism over Patel’s use of the #FBI plane & his global travel that has blended professional responsibilities with #leisure activities.

#law #Trump #corruption #taxpayers #GovernmentSpending #SelfEnrichment

Show thread

Nonilex

Importantly, the #FBI did not disclose the snorkeling session or that #KashPatel had returned to Hawaii for 2 days after his initial stop on the island.
“It fits a pattern of Director Patel getting tangled up in unseemly distractions—this time at a site commemorating the second deadliest attack in US history—instead of staying laser-focused on keeping Americans safe,” said Stacey Young of Justice Connection, a network of fmr federal prosecutors & agents who advocate for #DOJ’s independence.
#law