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When Kash Patel visited Hawaii last summer, the FBI went to great lengths to make sure the director wasn’t on vacation, highlighting his travel to the Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement.
Left out of the FBI news was a special trip Patel took days later, when he took part in what government officials described as a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona on a trip put together by the military. A sunken battleship buries more than 900 sailors and marines at Pearl Harbor.
With few exceptions, snorkeling and diving are off limits on the USS Arizona. The warship, now a military cemetery accessible only by boat, has been one of the most hallowed sites in the country since Japan bombed and sank it in 1941. Another dive was made to retrieve the remains of the Arizona survivors who wanted to rest forever with their former shipmates.
Patel’s swim, revealed in government emails obtained by The Associated Press, comes amid criticism over his use of an FBI plane and his worldwide travel, which combines professional and recreational responsibilities. The FBI did not disclose the snorkeling session or whether Patel had returned to Hawaii two days after his first stop on the island.
FBI Director Kash Patel faced questions about his leadership during a congressional committee hearing following a series of allegations of excessive drinking, poor performance and misuse of resources.
‘Fits the pattern’
“It follows a pattern of Director Patel being distracted by inappropriate distractions — this time in the wake of the second deadliest attack in American history — instead of focusing on keeping the American people safe,” said Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection, a network of former prosecutors and agents representing the Justice Department.
Since at least the Obama administration, the navy and the park service have quietly allowed a number of dignitaries, including military and government officials responsible for the monument’s management, to swim in the area. The Navy’s Marine and Park Service declined to provide details of those allowed to take the tour.
Former FBI directors have visited Pearl Harbor on official business, but none dating back to at least 1993 have gone snorkeling at the memorial, according to those familiar with their activities and a former government diver who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The diver said it was unusual for the director, or anyone not connected to the monument, to be given that information because swimmers come with inherent risks and have safety, security and operational challenges.
Patel has faced scrutiny over his leadership over the past year, with his use of government resources emerging as a recurring theme of his time. The issue came to light in February when a video surfaced of Patel hanging out in the locker room with members of the US men’s hockey team after they won the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Milan. Patel defended the trip as recently as this week as “premeditated” in connection with a cybercrime investigation involving Italian authorities.
Front burner30:48Kash Patel against the FBI
Questions about special travel
Patel’s trip was in August, as he spent two days in Hawaii on his way back to the United States from an official visit to Australia and New Zealand. On his way to those countries, he stopped in Hawaii to visit the Honolulu field office. An FBI spokesman did not respond to questions about the snorkeling session.
The FBI said in a statement that senior regional commanders treated Patel at Joint Base Harbor-Hickam “as they routinely do with US government officials on official travel.” The Pearl Harbor visit, the spokesman said, “was part of the Director’s national security discussions last August with his counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, our Honolulu Field Office and the Department of Defense.”
It was not immediately clear how Patel’s time to snorkel was arranged. A spokesperson for the navy, Captain Jodie Cornell, confirmed the evacuation but said the unit could not find out who started it.
Those taking part in Patel’s swim were told not to “touch/contact” the sunken vessel in any way, Cornell said. He added that snorkelers were also informed of the monument’s “historical significance as the final resting place/grave of hundreds of service members.”
‘Like having a bachelor party at church,’ said the veteran
Government emails obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request show military officials coordinating with “VIP Snorkel” personnel.
The National Park Service, which manages the area in partnership with the Navy, told The Associated Press it was not involved in Patel’s swim and declined to comment on the trip. It also declined to answer questions about any other such exits.
Among those invited to snorkel were navy commanders, defense and interior secretaries, according to a former government diver. The diver added that the swim was intended to provide officials with information about the monument and its operations.
The navy declined to provide examples or numbers showing how often it plans such trips. It described Patel’s exit as “not an anomaly.”
Hack Albertson, a Marine veteran, is part of a select group from the Paralyzed Veterans of America who are trained to dive in Arizona every year to assess the condition of the wreck. He said it was not appropriate for Patel and other politicians to storm or dive into the memorial.
“It’s like having a bachelor party in a church. It’s a sacred place,” he said. “It needs to be treated with the respect it deserves.”
Beyond the snorkeling trip, it’s unclear what else Patel did on his second stop in Hawaii.
