<p>FBI Director Kash Patel responded to inquiries regarding his personal travel on September 15, 2026, during a Senate oversight hearing focused on taxpayer-funded trips and leisure activities. He contrasted his travel with that of former directors James Comey and Christopher Wray, as Senate Democrats pressed for details.</p>
<p>Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) questioned Patel about a letter she sent requesting information on his personal travel and associated costs, noting she had not received a response.</p>
<figure><img alt="FBI Director Kash Patel." height="682" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26258583237794.jpg?w=696" width="1024" /><figcaption>FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)</figcaption></figure>
<p>Patel stated that he had already provided a comprehensive analysis of his travel records and those of previous FBI directors, describing this as an unprecedented effort at transparency not seen from his predecessors. “It’s already been responded to,” Patel told Hirono. “That letter is public.”</p>
<p>When Hirono requested the response, Patel replied, “It’s public. Go look it up.” The specific disclosure he referenced was not immediately clear. The Washington Examiner contacted the FBI for updated figures on Patel’s leisure travels, which he claimed were significantly fewer than those of Wray or Comey.</p>
<p>The FBI had previously released information about the FBI jet’s flight records last winter. A November 9 report by Just the News indicated that Patel had taken 92 flights from early March through early November, compared to 774 during Wray’s tenure and 497 during Comey’s.</p>
<p>Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the committee’s ranking member, stated that Democrats had received a letter on July 20 addressed to Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) regarding aircraft use just before the hearing.</p>
<p>“To say that this was a public letter, it may have started being public last night, but we had never seen it before,” Durbin said.</p>
<p>Hirono’s inquiries followed reports of Patel participating in a VIP snorkeling excursion at Pearl Harbor during an August 2025 trip, which she characterized as a pattern of using public resources for personal gain.</p>
<p>Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) also questioned Patel about a February trip to Italy, where he celebrated with the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team after their gold medal victory.</p>
<p>According to executive branch policy, the FBI director is required to use government aircraft for personal travel due to security and communication needs.</p>
<p>During the hearing, tensions escalated when Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) accused Patel of evading oversight questions and criticized Grassley’s management of the hearing. “He’s an incompetent lackey,” Booker said, labeling Patel “an embarrassment to the agency.”</p>
<p>Patel’s spokesman, Ben Williamson, responded to Booker’s remarks on X, stating, “I don’t often make the mistake of tuning into Senate hearings but every time I do I am immediately reminded of what an absolute loser Cory Booker is.”</p>
<p>Grassley expressed frustration and urged Booker to maintain composure, defending Patel’s responsiveness compared to his predecessors. The hearing had lasted over four hours by Tuesday afternoon. “He’s agreed to provide access to Wray and Comey’s travel records and access to his,” Grassley said. “There are some issues to be worked out.”</p>