Powerful Senate Republican Joins Democrats To Investigate Top Trump Official

Republican Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has joined the Democrats’ investigation of FBI Director Kash Patel’s lavish spending using taxpayer dollars.

Grassley wrote a letter to Patel in May, asking for more information about his taxpayer-funded flights and purchase of BMW vehicles as head of the FBI, according to accounts in a Thursday press release from whistleblowers provided to Democrats on the House and Senate Judiciary committees.

“For each trip where you used an FBI aircraft for personal travel, have you reimbursed the FBI as required by law? If yes, please provide the records,” his letter said.

Grassley, who has defended and praised Patel in the past, requested that his transportation be given an “independent and objective review.” He also questioned why the FBI “decided to purchase BMW vehicles instead of Chevy Suburbans.”

The FBI has a long-standing policy of buying Chevrolet Suburban SUVs, so the purchase of BMWs raised concerns, according to Mediaite. “Government agencies, including the FBI, routinely evaluate, replace and update vehicle fleets based on usage, security needs or budgetary decisions,” said Ben Williamson, the FBI spokesperson, last year.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), Democrats who launched the investigation on Thursday, wrote in their own letter, saying they “appreciate Chairman Grassley raising these concerns, which mirror those raised repeatedly by House and Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats.”

“Your VIP snorkeling experience in Hawaii was not an isolated incident,” the Democrats wrote. “You frequently demand special perks on ‘official’ trips around the globe, such as a taxpayer-funded helicopter tour during your multi-country jaunt across East Asia and other recreational activities like jet skiing.”

“Your jet-setting and the lack of justification for these trips are ‘out of control,’” they continued. 

Also in the letter, Raskin and Durbin referenced a source that said Patel told field office personnel in a meeting last year, “If you have golf, hockey, fishing, or hunting and beautiful sights, you’re going to see a lot of me.”

“This is not the conduct of a committed and faithful public servant, especially one entrusted with ensuring the safety of almost 350 million Americans,” the lawmakers wrote. 

“Despite its myriad failures and hypocrisies on this point, the Trump Administration has expressly promised Americans that it would crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse of government spending and has reportedly directed officials to limit their travel, particularly overseas travel or travel unrelated to the President’s agenda,” they added.