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FBI director Kash Patel spoke out in defense of his girlfriend, country music singer Alexis Wilkins, in a social media post Sunday (Nov. 2.) His words came as a reaction to scrutiny over Patel's usage of an FBI jet, which he flew to see Wilkins perform the national anthem at the Real American Freestyle (RAF) pro wrestling event on Oct. 25, according to publicly-available flight logs. The backlash has been largely focused on Patel himself. But in his Sunday post, Patel focused on "baseless attacks" against his girlfriend. What Did Kash Patel Say About His Girlfriend Alexis Wilkins? In his post, Patel shared he was remaining "laser-focused" on his work at the FBI, and refused to be distracted by "baseless rumors or the noise from uninformed internet anarchists and the fake news." He then focused specifically on his relationship with Wilkins. READ MORE: Miranda Lambert's Store Has Only One Thing for Men "The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis, a true patriot and the woman I'm proud to call my partner in life, are beyond pathetic," Patel wrote. "She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes. I'm so blessed she's in my life," he added. He also called attacks on Wilkins "cowardly" and said backlash against the couple "jeopardizes our safety." "My love of family will always be my cornerstone, and you will never tear that down or keep me from them," Patel added. What Is the Controversy Surrounding Kash Patel's FBI Jet Usage? Last week, former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin drew attention to Patel's trip to see Wilkins perform the national anthem at a wrestling event at Penn State University. Seraphin posted a photo of publicly-available FBI jet flight logs, highlighting a trip to State College Regional Airport on Oct. 25, and another flight from there to Nashville later that evening. Seraphin also addressed the incident in an episode of his The Kyle Seraphin Show podcast. "We're in the middle of a government shutdown where they're not even gonna pay all of the employees that work for the agency that this guy heads, and this guy is jetting off to hang out with his girlfriend in Nashville on our dime?" he said via the New York Post. Steven Palmer, a senior FBI official who was among those in charge of the bureau's aviation program, was officially terminated on Friday (Oct. 31.) Bloomberg Law subsequently spoke to three anonymous sources close to the situation, who said Palmer's departure was "at least partially connected to Patel's fury over the negative media cycle on his personal travel." The sources said Palmer was told that he either needed to immediately resign or be fired. They also said they were "baffled" as to why Patel would have blamed Palmer for the negative attention to his travel. In addition to the fact that the flight records are public, Wilkens also shared photos of herself and Patel together at the event. Who Is FBI Director Kash Patel's Girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins? Kash Patel, 45, became director of the FBI in February after a career in law and as a federal prosecutor. His girlfriend is 26-year-old Alexis Wilkins, a country singer who was once press secretary for Arizona Representative Abe Hamadeh. On her social media, she identifies as a spokesperson for the American Border Story and Senior Fellow at the American Principles Project. Also on her social channels, you'll find clips of her music and the occasional photo with Patel. Wilkins is also a graduate of Nashville's Belmont University, and when she dropped her first songs in 2020, she was spotlighted on the school's website. Themes of patriotism are frequently present in her songwriting, and she's been a lifelong supporter of military and military veteran causes. Wilkins' most-streamed song on Spotify is "Love Me," which appears on the track list for her 2023 Grit EP. How Did Kash Patel and Alexis Wilkins Meet? Patel and Wilkins have been dating since early 2023. They first met the previous fall at a ReAwaken America event. The romance remained out of the spotlight until last February, when she stood on stage behind him as he was sworn in as director of the FBI. The age gap is not a big deal for them. "There are a lot of people in this administration with age differences. There are a lot of people out there with age differences," Wilkins told the Daily Mail about their two-decade difference. Alexis Wilkins Lawsuit Explained In August, Wilkins filed a $5 million defamation case against Seraphin, the podcaster who shared screenshots of Patel's flight logs last week. According to the filing, Seraphin accused Wilkins of being an Israeli spy. He also allegedly called her a "honeypot" who was trying to manipulate Patel. Several outlets report that Wilkins was born in Boston and raised in Arkansas but lived in Europe for periods of her childhood.
