Kashi Patel He is facing new scrutiny after reports he took a rare “VIP snorkeling” tour near the sunken USS Arizona Memorial last summer during an official visit to Hawaii. The Associated Press reported, citing government emails, that military officials coordinated a special snorkeling event around the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, where more than 900 sailors and Marines remain buried after the 1941 Japanese attack.
The FBI did not publicly disclose the snorkeling at the time, although a press release highlighted Patel’s meetings with local law enforcement and his visit to the FBI’s Honolulu field office.
Critics question Pearl Harbor memorial’s actions
Now, some critics are questioning Karsh Patel’s actions. Some even thought it might be disrespectful to the victims of Pearl Harbor.
“This is consistent with a pattern of Director Patel falling into untimely interference, this time at the site of the second deadliest attack in U.S. history, rather than focusing on keeping Americans safe,” Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection, a network of former federal prosecutors and agents who advocate for an independent Justice Department, told The Associated Press.
Veterans also criticized the decision to allow political officials access to restricted waters around the monument.
Huck Albertson, a Marine Corps veteran who took part in an annual authorized dive to inspect the wreckage, added: “It’s like having a bachelor party at a church. This is sacred ground. It needs to be treated with the dignity it deserves.”
Access to restricted waters is rare
Snorkeling and diving are generally prohibited around the USS Arizona because the ship is a military cemetery and a protected historic site. Access is generally restricted to National Park Service staff, marine archaeologists and professionals working in conservation or burying the remains of surviving crew members.
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Still, select dignitaries and senior military officials have been quietly granted access over the years, the AP reports. The Navy said Patel’s outings were “not unusual,” but officials declined to provide details documenting the frequency of such outings or who authorized them.
Former Defense Secretary Christopher Miller confirmed that he snorkeled aboard the Arizona during an official visit and called the experience deeply moving.
“This is a very serious and meaningful event,” Miller said. “This is a historical tour. This is not entertainment.”
Questions remain about Patel’s trip to Hawaii
The snorkeling trip was reportedly Patel’s second stop in Hawaii as he returned from an official visit to Australia and New Zealand.
Flight data reviewed by The Associated Press showed the FBI’s Gulfstream G550 stopped in Hawaii for two nights before heading to Patel’s adopted hometown of Las Vegas. The FBI has not yet clarified why Patel returned to Hawaii after his initial stay or what other activities occurred during his stay.
An FBI spokesman confirmed that Patel met with regional commanders at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam “as they normally would with U.S. government officials during official travel.”
The bureau added that Pearl Harbor “was part of the director’s public national security activities last August with counterparts in New Zealand, Australia, the Honolulu Field Office and the Department of War.”
Officials also confirmed that snorkeling participants were instructed to “not touch/contact” the USS Arizona wreckage and received a briefing on the “historic significance of the memorial as the final resting place/grave of hundreds of service members.”
Kash Patel and his controversies
The Pearl Harbor report is the latest in a series of controversies surrounding Patel’s leadership at the FBI. Recent scrutiny has included questions about his travel, use of FBI aircraft and accusations that he confused official duties with personal or public activities.
Earlier this year, Patel also faced backlash when he appeared at celebrations after the U.S. men’s hockey team won the Milan Olympics. He later defended the trip, saying it was “deliberately planned” and linked to a cybercrime investigation involving Italian authorities.
(With inputs from The Associated Press)
