FBI Director's Snorkel Excursion Draws Scrutiny

FBI Director's Snorkel Excursion Draws Scrutiny

FBI Director Kash Patel participated in a snorkeling excursion around the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii in August, drawing scrutiny regarding the appropriateness of the activity at the site, which contains the remains of over 1,000 U.S. Navy sailors and Marines. The first reported the outing, described as a "VIP snorkel," which occurred during a two-day stop in Hawaii as Patel returned from official visits to Australia and New Zealand.

The excursion, coordinated by the military, involved Patel and nine other individuals swimming in the vicinity of the memorial for 30 minutes. The FBI stated that top regional commanders hosted Patel at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam as part of routine engagements with U.S. government officials on official travel. The bureau characterized the visit as a "historical tour to honor heroes" and part of Patel's national security engagements.

While military and government officials connected to the memorial's management have historically been permitted to swim at the site for operational insights, former FBI directors dating back to at least 1993 are not known to have snorkeled there. The incident contributes to recent scrutiny of Patel regarding the commingling of leisure and official travel.