is facing fresh scrutiny after reports revealed he participated in a rare ‘VIP snorkel’ excursion near the sunken USS Arizona memorial during an official visit to Hawaii last summer. The Associated Press cited government emails to report that military officials coordinated the special snorkeling event around the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, where more than 900 sailors and Marines remain entombed following the 1941 Japanese attack.
The FBI did not publicly disclose the snorkeling session at the time, despite issuing news releases highlighting Patel’s meetings with local law enforcement and his tour of the bureau’s Honolulu field office.
Critics question conduct at Pearl Harbor memorial
Now, several critics are questioning Kash Patel’s conduct. Some even suggested that this might have been an act of disrespect to Pearl Harbor victims.
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“It fits a pattern of Director Patel getting tangled up in unseemly distractions, this time at a site commemorating the second deadliest attack in US history, instead of staying laser-focused on keeping Americans safe,” Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection, a network of former federal prosecutors and agents advocating for DOJ independence, told AP.
Veterans also criticized the decision to allow political officials to enter the restricted waters around the memorial.
Marine veteran Hack Albertson, who participates in annual authorized dives to inspect the wreckage, added: “It’s like having a bachelor party at a church. It’s hallowed ground. It needs to be treated with the solemnity it deserves.”
Rare access to restricted waters
Snorkeling and diving around the USS Arizona are generally prohibited because the battleship serves as a military cemetery and protected historical site. Access is typically limited to National Park Service crews, marine archaeologists and specialized personnel conducting preservation work or interring the remains of surviving crew members.
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Still, AP reported that select dignitaries and senior military officials have quietly been granted access over the years. The Navy described Patel’s outing as ‘not an anomaly’, though officials declined to provide records detailing how often such excursions occur or who authorizes them.
Former Defense Secretary Christopher Miller confirmed he previously snorkeled over the Arizona during an official visit and described the experience as deeply emotional.
“It was a very somber and meaningful event,” Miller said. “It was a historical tour. It wasn’t a recreational thing.”
Questions remain about Patel’s Hawaii trip
The snorkeling excursion reportedly occurred during a second stop Patel made in Hawaii while returning from official visits to Australia and New Zealand.
Flight data reviewed by AP showed the FBI’s Gulfstream G550 remained in Hawaii for two nights before traveling onward to Las Vegas, Patel’s adopted hometown. The FBI has not clarified why Patel returned to Hawaii after his initial stop on the island or what additional activities took place during the stay.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed Patel met with regional commanders at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam ‘as they commonly do with US government officials on official travel’.
The bureau added that the Pearl Harbor stop ‘was part of the Director’s public national security engagements last August with counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, our Honolulu Field Office, and the Department of War’.
Officials also confirmed snorkel participants were instructed ‘not to touch/come into contact with’ the USS Arizona wreckage and were briefed on ‘the historic significance of the Memorial as the final resting place/tomb for hundreds of service members’.
Kash Patel and his controversies
The Pearl Harbor report is the latest in a string of controversies surrounding Patel’s leadership at the FBI. Recent scrutiny has included questions over his travel, use of FBI aircraft and accusations that he blurred official business with personal or publicity-driven activities.
Patel also faced backlash earlier this year after appearing in celebrations with the US men’s hockey team following their Olympic victory in Milan. He later defended the trip by saying it was ‘purposely planned’ in connection with a cybercrime investigation involving Italian authorities.
(With inputs from The Associated Press)
