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A senior FBI official has reportedly been fired after its director, Kash Patel, allegedly became angry with reports revealing that he had used a government jet to travel to visit his girlfriend sing the national anthem at a wrestling match. According to a report by The Guardian, Steven Palmer, who had worked at the bureau since 1998, was fired as head of the FBI’s critical incident response group which is responsible for handling major security threats as well as overseeing the agency’s fleet of jets. He is the third chief of the unit to have been dismissed since Patel became the second Trump administration’s FBI director in February. Previously, a former FBI agent accused the bureau chief of using an the agency’s jet for personal travel to attend his girlfriend’s wrestling event. The criticism attracted attention as the accusation came while FBI employees are facing delayed pay during the government shutdown. Kyle Seraphin, a former FBI agent-turned-MAGA podcaster known for his outspoken criticism of the bureau, claimed that a government-owned jet registered to the Department of Justice made a 40-minute flight from Virginia to Pennsylvania on October 25, coinciding with Patel’s appearance at the Real American Freestyle Wrestling event at Penn State University, where his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, performed, The Independent reported. After the event, the same jet reportedly flew to Nashville, where Wilkins lives. Flight-tracking data cited by Seraphin appeared to match Patel’s recent travel pattern. However, no official word was shared by the FBI on whether the director was on board. “He flew a $60 million aircraft to go hang out there. Is that gross to anybody else?” Seraphin said in his latest podcast episode. “We’re in the middle of a shutdown, and this guy’s jetting off to hang out with his girlfriend — on our dime.” Under federal guidelines, the FBI director is required to use government aircraft for all travel due to the need for secure communications, but must reimburse the government for personal use at the cost of a commercial ticket. According to Bloomberg, Patel had become furious over stories published after the event about his use of the FBI jet to go on the date with Wilkins. Later, Steven Palmer was reportedly told he could resign instantly or be fired. The dismissal was made official on Friday.
