FBI director Kash Patel is involved in another scandal after it was reported that the bureau had bought the luxury armoured BMW X5 cars to use as his vehicles instead of the Chevrolet Suburbans with which he used to drive the FBI leadership.
FBI has verified to MS NOW that it purchased an undetermined number of the German-made SUVs on behalf of Patel. Patel told the report that the BMWs would enable him to move around but without seeming so conspicuous.
Why is Kash Patel facing heat over new BMWs?
Although the US government does use the same type of BMW vehicles to carry the State Department officials and other diplomats, the use of the vehicles is normally restricted to the high-risk international environment.
The acquisitions of the BMW occur in the conditions of another order that is not fulfilled. Citing four individuals, MS NOW wrote that earlier this year, Patel urged the FBI to buy a new and more modern jet to use. This suggestion was finally discarded with the price estimated to be between 90 and 115 million dollars.
Is FBI Defending Kash Patel’s Vehicle Upgrade?
The FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson stated that the BMW X5S were purchased as part of a planned car upgrade and that the choice taken was less costly than other cars that the bureau had in mind. He refused to offer documents that would specify the expenses or proof to back the assertion that the relocation would lead to savings as opposed to the current government fleet.
Williamson said that regularly, government agencies (as well as the FBI) assess, renew and upgrade vehicle fleets according to the level of use, security requirements or cost-cutting considerations.
Questions Over Of Savings And Spending
It is controversial whether the BMWs were saving money for the taxpayer. According to an anonymous source, the cars were less expensive than half of the price of a new armoured Suburban, which would have cost 480,000.
A congressional aide of the Democrats questioned that number, citing that the government would have purchased several Suburbans at a discounted price.
The most recent Forbes report contributes to previous criticism of taxpayer-financed expenditures conducted by Patel. He has already been criticised over his usage of the FBI plane on personal trips to see his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins and was also reported to have assigned her a security detail that was FBI.
In the past, Patel claimed that he was following the FBI policy, which did not allow directors to fly commercially and demanded that he had the right to a personal life.
When Kash Patel flew in a $115 million jet to meet his lover
The BMW story isn’t the only thing raising eyebrows. Earlier, Patel pushed the FBI to buy him a brand new jet. The price tag? Somewhere between $90 million and $115 million, according to a reputed publication. That plan fizzled out.
Still, the Gulfstream jet is very much in use. MS Now says Patel ordered an upgrade for its communication gear. He wanted strong internet connection, apparently so people could stay active on social media.
But some former FBI officials weren’t impressed. They pointed out that the jet already had a dedicated communications station for secure calls, and big problems with it were pretty rare.
Back in October, Patel caught more heat for using an FBI jet to fly out and see his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins.
That wasn’t all. MS Now reported he even used SWAT team members as a security detail for Wilkins, which sparked even more outrage. Former FBI agent Christopher O’Leary didn’t hold back, calling Patel’s move “a clear abuse of position and misuse of government resources.”
He said there’s no real excuse for the FBI director to pull law enforcement away from their jobs just to protect his girlfriend.
