FBI scrutiny grows over Patel VIP snorkel and concert

FBI Director Kash Patel is facing renewed scrutiny over reports that federal resources were used for personal-related activities, including a private snorkeling excursion near the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor last August and a trip to a Philadelphia country concert with his girlfriend the following year. The developments have reignited questions about how high-level officials separate professional duties from closely connected leisure and hospitality, as well as what safeguards govern rare access to sensitive sites.

In Hawaii, government emails obtained through public records requests describe what they call a “VIP snorkel” near the wreck of the USS Arizona, where more than 900 sailors and Marines killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack remain entombed. According to the Navy, Patel swam in the vicinity of the tomb for about 30 minutes, escorted by Navy SEALs on two boats. The access was coordinated by military officials and took place away from tourist crowds during a Hawaii stop that followed meetings with law enforcement and intelligence counterparts in Australia, New Zealand, and the FBI’s Honolulu field office.

The USS Arizona Memorial is widely regarded as sacred and is...