FBI Director Kash Patel snorkeled at the USS Arizona Memorial in August without public disclosure, according to government emails obtained by the Associated Press.
The memorial, which entombs over 900 American sailors and Marines killed in the 1941 attack, is nearly entirely off-limits to the public.
Patel extended his Hawaii trip two additional days beyond his official visits to Australia and New Zealand to participate in the "VIP Snorkel." And critics reacted, describing the excursion as disrespectful.
"It fits a pattern of Director Patel getting tangled up in unseemly distractions — this time at a site commemorating the second deadliest attack in U.S. history — instead of staying laser-focused on keeping Americans safe," said Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection, a network of former federal prosecutors and agents who fight for the Justice Department's independence.
A former government diver stated no FBI director, since at least 1993, had snorkeled there and described such access as highly unusual.
The FBI offered only vague statements about "national security engagements," while the Navy claimed it could not identify who initiated the trip.
The incident follows other controversies, including Patel partying with the Olympic hockey team and gifting illegal 3D-printed firearms to New Zealand officials.
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