Kash Patel attacks MS NOW reporters after bombshell report he was summoned to White House

FBI Director Kash Patel abruptly canceled a planned trip to Chicago on Friday and reported to the White House after frustrated senior Trump administration officials summoned him to the West Wing, according to a bombshell MS NOW report.

The five-reporter investigation by Pulitzer Prize winners Carol Leonnig and Jackie Alemany, with Ken Dilanian, Vaughn Hillyard, and Jake Traylor, says Patel had planned to fly aboard an FBI aircraft to Chicago, where his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, was scheduled to perform on Saturday.

Related: Kash Patel sued a reporter over drinking allegations. So she dropped another FBI alcohol bombshell

Patel’s staff had also arranged a visit to the FBI’s Chicago field office. Multiple current and former law enforcement officials told MS NOW that agents complained internally that the appearance had been added to justify the trip. One source said Patel canceled while on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews and was immediately called to the White House.

The precise reason for Patel’s visit remained unclear. The White House denied that he had been summoned because officials were frustrated with him, saying he attended unrelated meetings. But several people told MS NOW that top Trump officials had grown disturbed by Patel’s behavior and the negative attention surrounding him. Some questioned why the FBI director was leaving Washington amid the renewed war with Iran and alleged threats against President Donald Trump.

“With everything going on in the war, how are you not outside the Oval Office ready to go into the Situation Room?” one person familiar with efforts to rebuild Patel’s standing told the outlet.

The report carries a familiar byline for Advocate readers. Hillyard recently returned from paternity leave after he and his husband welcomed a baby in the spring. Patel’s canceled trip followed an early morning post attacking MS NOW’s reporting on his travel.

“My jet ski is gold plated…dumbass,” Patel wrote.

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The reporting has also drawn scrutiny from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley asked Patel about his use of the FBI jet and the bureau’s purchase of armored BMWs, MS NOW reported.

White House spokesperson Steven Cheung defended Patel, calling him “a critical player on the Administration’s law and order team.”

On Friday evening, after the MS NOW report, Patel took to X again to attack the reporters who broke the news.

“Yes, I called MS NOW dumbasses this morning and then later today they post an article only gold plated dumbasses like Ken and Carol would write,” Patel wrote.

Related: Kash Patel reportedly gripped by panic and leak paranoia at FBI

The Advocate has documented a widening series of problems surrounding Patel. He sued The Atlantic for $250 million after it reported allegations of excessive drinking, unexplained absences and erratic behavior; the magazine said it stood by its work.

Patel has also faced legal challenges over his treatment of LGBTQ+ personnel. A gay former FBI official sued after Patel fired him for displaying a Progress Pride flag at his desk, alleging unconstitutional discrimination and political retaliation.

According to MS NOW, Trump and senior aides, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, have grown irritated by the steady stream of negative headlines surrounding Patel. The White House continues to defend him publicly, but Friday’s abrupt change of plans suggests the controversies have become increasingly difficult to contain.