FBI Director Kash Patel had a challenge coin made displaying his name, personal logo and using the Marvel "Punisher" insignia as the main shape of the coin.
Historically, the military would hand out small medallions, which went by several names like a military coin or "commander's coin," explained Joint Base Charleston in a 2018 explainer. Those coins have made their way outside the military to be adopted by other federal agencies for commemoration of significant events.
In his first administration, Trump issued a "summit coin" for his meeting with Kim Jong Un that drew so much mockery online that it crashed the White House gift shop website, reported MSNBC and USA Today in 2018.
It appears Patel has used his, however, to highlight his own leadership at the FBI.
Last month, Patel issued a coin that appeared more traditional. Circular in shape, the coin displayed his name with a dollar sign, "Ka$h Patel," and featured a U.S. flag fading into a Gadsden flag, photos showed.
The new shape is very different, with the "Punisher" skull made up of guns, spiders and featuring a kind of name logo for Patel's "K$H."
"J. Edgar was tacky but this guy tops him," said Joe Conason, editor-in-chief of National Memo, in a post on X.
America Magazine chief correspondent Kevin Clarke said it was, "From the Valhalla collection."
It's a reference to Norse mythology where the god Odin presided. White nationalists have adopted aspects of Viking-themed mythology, and Patel has previously referred to Valhalla, according to research fellow Ashton Kingdon, who wrote about the topic at the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN).
"Your taxpayer dollars at work," remarked former federal prosecutor Joyce White Vance. She added, "The Obama administration prohibited spending on these items."
Pat Dennis, the president of the liberal group American Bridge, mocked, "People can't get health care because the action figure budget is too high."
Retired soldier Brad Duplessis wrote on Bluesky, "My guidance as a squadron commander. Nothing on the coin will relate to me. The crest and campaigns, shared history, is what matters. Simpler the better. Also, only pics of me and the CSM allowed on social media are ones where we’re recognizing soldiers. People know who we are. Show them the unit."
"The description of the ka$h challenge coin in the Driscoll lawsuit really did not prepare me for this," said legal analyst Quinta Jurecic.
Others couldn't help but point out the realities of the creator of "The Punisher," a vigilante crimefighter, becoming more anti-police over the past several years.
"Writer Gerry Conway opposes the appropriation of the symbol by police officers, some of whom have been seen wearing it at demonstrations protesting the killing of George Floyd," Artnet reported in 2020.
“I’m looking for young comic book artists of color who’d like to participate in a small fundraising project for #BLM to reclaim the Punisher skull as a symbol of justice rather than lawless police oppression,” wrote Conway on Twitter in 2020.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, pointed out that Conway specifically addressed challenge coins in 2019, saying, "If an officer of the law ... shares challenge coins honoring a criminal, he or she is making a very ill-advised statement about their understanding of the law."
