By Trendsetter Tribune 
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel is facing a firestorm of criticism following a whistleblower report alleging that his “misplaced priorities” and personal use of government aircraft delayed the FBI’s response to a deadly mass shooting. According to the report released on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, elite federal agents were forced to drive through a snowstorm to reach the scene of the Brown University shooting because no FBI planes were available.
The allegations, detailed in a letter from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), suggest a pattern of “irresponsible joyriding” at the expense of national security.
The “Bizarre” Directive and the Brown University Delay
The report focuses on the FBI’s response to the December 13, 2025, shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, where a gunman killed two students and wounded nine others.
- The Missing Jets: The FBI has two primary jets for rapid deployment. On the day of the shooting, one jet was in South Florida, where Patel was reportedly visiting his parents.
- The Directive: According to the whistleblower, Patel issued a “bizarre” order to hold the second available jet for the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) on standby, effectively “freezing” the aircraft.
- The Confusion: Local FBI officials were reportedly baffled by the order, as regional SWAT teams from Boston and New York were already on the move. The elite Evidence Response Team from Quantico, needing the plane to transport heavy equipment, was told none were available.
- The Result: The expert team was forced to drive through the night during a severe winter storm, arriving at the crime scene nearly 15 hours after the shooting began.
A Pattern of Premature Claims
The report also links the logistical failures to Patel’s controversial habit of “live-tweeting” active investigations. Critics argue his desire for social media “wins” has repeatedly compromised active cases.
| Incident | Patel’s Social Media Action | The Reality |
| Charlie Kirk Assassination (Sept 2025) | Posted that the subject was “in custody” hours after the shooting. | The suspect was not actually caught for another 36 hours. |
| Brown University Shooting (Dec 2025) | Announced a “person of interest” had been detained in a hotel. | The individual was an innocent 24-year-old and was released hours later. |
Analysts suggest these premature announcements may have alerted the actual shooters, potentially helping them evade capture in the critical early hours of the investigations.
“Keystone Kash”: The Internal Fallout
The whistleblower report, compiled by a group of retired and active-duty agents, paints a picture of an agency paralyzed by inexperience at the top.
- The “Raid Jacket” Incident: The report includes a bizarre anecdote from the Charlie Kirk investigation in Utah. Patel allegedly refused to leave his plane until agents found him a “medium-sized” FBI raid jacket. When the jacket didn’t have the correct Velcro patches, SWAT members were reportedly ordered to strip patches from their own uniforms to satisfy the Director.
- Plummeting Morale: The report describes the FBI as a “rudderless ship” where career agents are “paralyzed by fear” of retribution if they challenge Patel’s social media-driven directives.
The Administration’s Defense
The FBI and the White House have pushed back aggressively against the report, characterizing it as a politically motivated attack by “disgruntled” former employees.
“The Director has a bias for action. He wants to be transparent with the public in real-time. These ‘anonymous’ leaks are just the swamp trying to slow down a reformer who is actually getting things done.” — FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino
Sen. Durbin has requested that the DOJ Inspector General investigate whether Patel’s travel and directives constitute a “mismanagement of government resources.”