Former FBI director trashes Kash Patel's trip to the Olympics hockey final: 'Horrible message to the FBI rank and file' [View all]
Source: The Independent
Monday 23 February 2026 22:35 EST
A former top FBI official has sharply condemned Director Kash Patel for partying with members of the victorious U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team in Italy. Andrew McCabe, who served as acting director of the FBI during the first Trump administration, told CNN that Patel’s presence there, where he was filmed chugging beer with the players in a post-game celebration, sent a “horrible, horrible message” to the bureau’s rank and file.
“I mean, the video is ridiculous, and it was completely inappropriate for him to be engaging, to go at all,” McCabe said in an interview with Jake Tapper. “Let’s be honest. The excuse that he had to go for security meetings the day before the games are over is patently ridiculous.”
The FBI has said Patel was in Italy for a series of security and diplomatic meetings, but McCabe said he doubted this rationale, noting security planning meetings typically take place months before major events such as the Olympics.
The former FBI official added that Patel’s antics were a particularly bad image as the FBI deals with a string of high-profile threats and investigations, including the unsolved suspected kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie and the potential blowback if the U.S. resumes hostilities with Iran.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/kash-patel-olympics-hockey-fbi-b2926187.html
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