FBI Director Kash Patel snorkeled around Pearl Harbor during a stop in Hawaii after visiting New Zealand on official business, according to the Associated Press—a privilege typically reserved for dignitaries and military and government officials who manage the site—the latest reported incident of Patel mixing official business and leisure.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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Patel participated in the “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona last summer on his way back from official visits in New Zealand and Australia then stayed in Hawaii for two days, according to government emails and flight tracking data for the FBI jet obtained by the Associated Press.
He visited the Honolulu field office on his way to those countries, according to the AP.
