Kash Patel and Navy desecrate USS Arizona burial site.

[RandySF]

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Kash Patel visited Hawaii last summer, the FBI took pains to note the director was not on vacation, highlighting his walking tour of the bureau’s Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement.

Left out of the FBI’s news releases was an exclusive excursion that Patel took days later when he participated in what government officials described as a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona in an outing coordinated by the military. The sunken battleship entombs more than 900 sailors and Marines at Pearl Harbor.

The swim, revealed in government emails obtained by The Associated Press, comes to light amid criticism of Patel’s use of the FBI plane and his global travel, which have blurred professional responsibilities with leisure activities. The FBI did not disclose the snorkeling session or that Patel had returned to Hawaii for two days after his initial stopover on the island.

“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, who founded Justice Connection, a network of former federal prosecutors and agents who advocate for the Department of Justice’s independence.




https://apnews.com/article/fbi-kash-patel-snorkel-hawaii-pearl-harbor-192a81cde7a5879aab747bc0ba4b78b9

[montanacowboy]

1. That filthy POS turns my stomach

what's his next adventure? digging up the tomb of the unknown soldier? How the hell much longer do we have to put up with this shit?

[Grim Chieftain]

2. My god, using a national memorial site

for recreation. Floating through the waters where many died in the service to this country for sport and recreation. There are no words.

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Truly absurd...but exactly what these collective clowns are delivering daily.

I hope the folks that voted for Trump get woke soon.

[sop]

4. The area where Patel went swimming is almost entirely off limits with a few exceptions, like placing remains

of deceased crewmembers of the USS Arizona who wanted their ashes spread among the wreckage with their crewmates.

[democrank]

5. Shameful, disgraceful

A new day, a new low. Sickening.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. MaddowBlog-Patel's new mess: Emails show his Hawaii trip included 'VIP snorkel' at Pearl Harbor memorial

The beleaguered director didn’t need another embarrassing controversy. He apparently has one anyway.

As emails show Kash Patel’s Hawaii trip included “VIP snorkel” at the Pearl Harbor memorial, two things stand out:
- There are some folks at the FBI who are clearly eager to humiliate this guy
- The revelations are entirely unsurprising given everything we know about him
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-05-14T20:22:35.400Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/patel-snorkel-hawaii-emails-pearl-harbor

He might not have needed another mess, but the director appears to have one anyway. The Associated Press reported on Patel’s visit to Hawaii last summer, which the FBI insisted was not a vacation. There’s fresh evidence to the contrary:

Left out of FBI’s news releases was an exclusive excursion that Patel took days later when he participated in what government officials described as a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona in an outing coordinated by the military. The sunken battleship entombs more than 900 sailors and Marines at Pearl Harbor.

The swim, revealed in government emails obtained by The Associated Press, comes to light amid criticism over Patel’s use of the FBI plane and his global travel that has blended professional responsibilities with leisure activities. The FBI did not disclose the snorkeling session or that Patel had returned to Hawaii for two days after his initial stopover on the island.

An FBI spokesman did not answer questions about the snorkeling session, according to the AP, though it acknowledged that regional commanders hosted Patel at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam “as they commonly do with US government officials on official travel.”...

A year ago this month, Patel attended a secret conference of U.S. intelligence allies, and ahead of the gathering, the FBI director’s team apparently made some unusual requests. The New York Times reported earlier this year:

Before the conference, his staff says he’s unhappy because he doesn’t like meetings in office settings. What he wants is social events. He wants Premier soccer games. He wants to go jet skiing. He’d like a helicopter tour. Everyone who heard about this was like: Hold on. Is he really going to ask the MI5 director to go jet skiing instead of meeting? … His staff only cared about three things: what his meals were, when his workouts would be and what his entertainment would be.

To know anything about Patel’s tenure is to know that work doesn’t appear to be this guy’s top priority. He seems far more interested in having a great time, which happens with great regularity.

The FBI Director, everyone. You paid for it.

— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) 2026-02-23T00:10:52.818Z

Time will tell what, if any, impact this will have on Patel’s professional future, but it’s worth noting that it was just a few weeks ago when Politico reported that things “aren’t looking great” for Patel, adding that he appears likely to be the next high-ranking official to exit the administration. This dovetailed with related observations about just how little the White House has done to defend Patel, or even to say his name out loud, in the face of multiple controversies.

The director started scrambling soon after to save his job, but between the latest reporting and the “Saturday Night Live” sketches that lampooned Patel as a national joke, no one should be too surprised if the president starts looking for some faraway land that needs a new ambassador. Watch this space.

SNL will have fun on Saturday

[calimary]

7. Looks like ol' Kash is living the high life to its fullest.

But what goes up must come down. And always does. When he finally comes back down, it’s liable to be a pretty rough landing.

[harumph]

8. Is VIP snorkling a thing - is this the first time something like this was permitted?

The article uses the language "...with few exceptions (snorkling) is not permitted"
What are those "exceptions"?

Update: according to the new republic:

"Only a few dignitaries have been allowed to swim at the site since at least the Obama administration, but none of them were FBI chiefs, even though they have visited Pearl Harbor. Patel, yet again, appears to be using his job and access to a private FBI jet to get away with vacationing on the taxpayer’s dime."

Really, NO dignitaries or anyone else other than archeologists and academics with a DAMN GOOD REASON should be allowed.

[orleans]

13. google ai overview:

Based on available reports regarding the 2024 "VIP snorkel" trip involving former FBI official Kash Patel and former Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, there are no other widely reported public officials or high-profile individuals identified as swimming at the USS Arizona Memorial.

Context: Swimming or snorkeling at the USS Arizona Memorial, a sacred military grave, is generally prohibited for the public, making this event highly controversial.

Source of Information: The trip was revealed through government emails.

[harumph]

14. The following is from The New Republic article about this issue:

"Only a few dignitaries have been allowed to swim at the site since at least the Obama administration, but none of them were FBI chiefs, even though they have visited Pearl Harbor." (emphasis mine)

Okay.... so the NR has established that a few "dignitaries" have evidently been allowed to swim in the past. Just who were these "dignitaries" and what party made the call to let them swim there? Is that not a salient detail? It also says "at least since the Obama administration..." So, again, I ask who in the past has been allowed to swim at the site outside of academics and archeologists who ostensibly have a reason? It seems to me if a reporter can affirm that "some" have been "allowed" - then (some) should be identifiable. Again, my feeling is that outside of academics and archeologists doing research, nobody should have been allowed. Period.

Reportage today is pathetic.

[sl8]

15. According to the OP article, yes.

[...]

Still, since at least the Obama administration, the Navy and the park service have quietly allowed a handful of dignitaries, including military and government officials responsible for management of the memorial, to swim at the site. The Navy and park service declined to provide details of those permitted to take such excursions.

Former FBI directors have visited Pearl Harbor on official business, but none going back to at least 1993 has gone snorkeling at the memorial, according to those familiar with their activities and a former government diver who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. The diver said it was unusual for a director or anyone not connected to the memorial to be granted such access because the swims come with physical risks and present security, safety and logistical challenges.

[...]

Among those afforded invitations to snorkel have been Navy admirals and secretaries of defense and the interior, according to the former government diver. The diver added that the swims were intended to provide officials with insights into the memorial and its operations.

The Navy declined to provide examples or numbers showing how frequently it organizes such excursions. It described Patel’s outing as “not an anomaly.”

[...]

[orangecrush]

9. JFC

[ShazzieB]

10. "The sunken battleship entombs more than 900 sailors and Marines at Pearl Harbor."

That asswipe used a TOMB for his playground. A tomb where more than 900 men have lain in peace for almost 85 years. What a sick fuck.

[Grokenstein]

11. Descration is a "power move" to them. Every form of vile behavior is.

Every time pig or one of his fellow pigs does something vicious, stupid and antisocial, and gets away with it, it's a spectacular triumph in their eyes. People without power may revel in getting away with petty theft or vandalism, but the big boys aim higher. That's how you know they're the big boys!

[GiqueCee]

12. This bug-eyed clown...

... plunges new depths of assholiness.
It's like we're all entangled in a fishing net dragging us to the bottom of the Challenger Deep. How do we get free of these evil monsters?