Kash Patel Lashes Out at MS NOW in New Profane Rant As Trump Honchos Call Him On Carpet

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

Kash Patel doubled down on his disdain for MS NOW and its bombshell report the FBI director had been summoned to the White House Friday amid ongoing questions about his taxpayer funded travel.

For the second time in a day, Patel took to X to denigrate the network, and this time, he name checked reporters Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian.

“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,” he wrote Friday night.

The snap back came after an MS NOW report earlier in the day that Patel abruptly canceled a scheduled trip to Chicago — where his country singer girlfriend Alexis Wilkins was set to perform at a music festival. Instead, Patel was called to the White House, according to the network’s exclusive report.

The FBI denied the claim, calling it a “complete and total lie.”

The apparent White House visit came as Republicans are increasingly joining Democrats to scrutinize Patel’s travel.

Dilanian reported earlier in the week that Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter demanding details on Patel’s travels and some of his purchasing decisions.

“For each trip where you used an FBI aircraft for personal travel, have you reimbursed the FBI as required by law? If yes, please provide the records,” Grassley wrote in his letter, which also asked why the FBI “decided to purchase BMW vehicles instead of Chevy Suburbans.”

Earlier Friday, Patel had reacted to an opinion piece by MS NOW’s Hayes Brown with the headline: “Kash Patel Can’t Count on Donald Trump’s Protection Forever.”

He included a screenshot of Brown’s piece, and a salty caption.

“Nah, my jet ski is gold plated….dumbass. Your job is to lie. Mine is to protect the American people, and business is good!” he wrote.

Patel has reimbursed the agency for his personal travel, officials have said.

The FBI director’s personal travels became infamous in February when he posted an image of himself on social media in the locker room with Team USA in Milan, Italy, after their Olympic gold medal win.

He was caught on video knocking back a beer as the team celebrated their 2-1 overtime victory over Team Canada.

Patel also traveled to Hawaii last summer, during which he took a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona — the Pearl Harbor memorial which serves as a graveyard to more than 900 sailors and Marines slain in the Dec. 7, 1941 attack.

The “exclusive excursion” was highly unusual, as snorkeling is typically not permitted near the solemn site.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!