Fears are growing that FBI Director Kash Patel is not taking the job as seriously as he should be, after reportedly upending the normal briefing schedule and spending much of his time hanging out with celebrities at sporting events.
Directors of the bureau typically attend a daily 8.30 a.m. meeting during which they are briefed on the most significant intelligence and law enforcement information, collated by thousands of analysts.
On Wednesday afternoons, the FBI boss also typically holds a secure video teleconference with the leaders of national field offices to share information about bureau priorities.
However, sources told NBC News that unlike his predecessors, Patel has taken to shifting the daily morning briefing to just two days a week. The sources – two current officials with direct knowledge and two former FBI and Justice Department officials – said he has also stopped the Wednesday conference.
Fears are growing that FBI Director Kash Patel is not taking the job as seriously as he should be, after reportedly upending the normal briefing schedule and spending much of his time hanging out with celebrities at sporting events. (Getty Images)
Patel has been snapped alongside other celebrities including Wayne Gretzky. Fears have grown that he is not taking his role as FBI Director seriously (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
His behavior has raised concerns that he is not taking his position seriously, the sources said, adding that those who worked on the daily morning briefings had been told that the schedule was changed because Patel sometimes failed to arrive on time.
Patel has been pictured alongside his boss Donald Trump and other celebrities, at various events including the UFC. He’s a clear fan, after it was previously reported that he considered bringing in trainers from the UFC to beef up agents’ martial arts and self-defense skills.
According to flight logs reviewed by NBC News, Patel appears to have made three flights on FBI planes to Nashville, Tennessee, where his girlfriend lives, two flights to Las Vegas and a flight to New York, where he attended a hockey game – and was pictured alongside NHL legend Wayne Gretzky.
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on whether the six trips reported by the outlet involved work activities, but said that all ethical guidelines had been followed “rigorously.”
Patel has reportedly changed the schedule of the FBI director’s daily morning briefings, dropping down to just several per week. NBC reports he has also axed a Wednesday afternoon teleconference with FBI field offices (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
In a statement to The Independent, an FBI spokesperson said: “The meeting schedule was changed to Tuesday/ Thursday for a large group, and Monday/Wednesday/Friday for a smaller operational chief group.
“The changes were based on feedback from Bureau personnel — not because of schedule or timelines.”
A spokesperson also denied to NBC News that Patel had arrived late to meetings.
Officials also told the outlet that the weekly teleconference was canned due to “attempted leaks” that had led to a series of national news stories, but added that Patel regularly speaks to field offices.