Emails show Kash Patel went on a 'VIP snorkel' at Pearl Harbor
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- FBI Director Kash Patel participated in a "VIP snorkel" around the USS Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor during a visit to Hawaii, an outing coordinated by the military but not disclosed by the FBI.
- Snorkeling around the USS Arizona, a military cemetery and hallowed site, is generally prohibited except for rare exceptions granted to select dignitaries, making Patel's excursion unusual for an FBI director.
- The FBI defended Patel's visit as part of official national security engagements, but details about the snorkeling arrangement and Patel's additional two-day stay in Hawaii remain unclear.
- Critics argue Patel's leisure activities, including this outing, blur the line between professional duties and personal distractions, especially at a solemn historic site.
- Some Pearl Harbor survivors' families do not object to such official visits, though others feel the memorial should be treated with greater solemnity and exclusivity.