Lawsuit seeks records on whether FBI director misused government aircraft and official resources for personal travel during February excursion to Italy

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Democracy Defenders Fund sued the FBI after the agency failed to release records about FBI Director Kash Patel’s February 2026 trip to Italy and the Winter Olympics. The records could shed light on whether Patel used taxpayer resources for personal travel.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to compel the FBI to produce travel, expense, ethics, reimbursement, communications, and Olympic-related records previously requested by DDF on Feb. 27. The FBI has not produced records or made a substantive determination for eight of the nine request numbers it assigned to DDF’s request, and it denied DDF’s request for expedited processing.

According to the complaint, Patel traveled to Italy on government aircraft at a reported cost of $75,000 to taxpayers. While he was abroad, the complaint notes, serious law enforcement and national security events were unfolding. Those events included an armed breach at Mar-a-Lago that ended in a fatal shooting, cartel violence near the U.S.-Mexico border, and President Trump publicly weighing U.S. military strikes against Iran. During the trip, Patel attended Olympic events, watched the men’s hockey final from what appeared to be a skybox, and was reportedly seen in the U.S. men’s hockey team’s locker room, where he drank beer with players.

"The public has a right to know whether the FBI director used taxpayer resources for official business or for a personal Olympic junket,” said Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), co-founder and executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund. “The FBI director’s position doesn’t allow him to plunder the agency’s taxpayer-funded budget for personal perks or recreational travel. Using government aircraft or official resources for nonofficial purposes is exactly the kind of conduct FOIA exists to expose. The FBI cannot run out the clock on a lawful request just because the records could be embarrassing. Americans deserve the truth.”

Patel’s use of government aircraft has already drawn congressional scrutiny. Senator Dick Durbin has requested investigations by the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General into Patel’s travel on government aircraft, including trips connected to professional hockey games, private travel and the 2026 Olympics. House Judiciary Committee Democrats have also sought information about other reported nonofficial uses of government aircraft.

DDF’s lawsuit argues that the FBI violated FOIA by failing to produce records, explain any lawful basis for withholding them, or meet the statutory deadline to respond. DDF is asking the court to order the FBI to promptly process the request, preserve responsive records, and release all non-exempt materials so the public can see whether Patel’s trip was official business or personal travel at taxpayer expense.

You can read the complaint here.

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Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.