Kash Patel has been stung by a leak from British intelligence following a dramatic dispute over his armed security detail ahead of a dinner attended by King Charles.
Patel was also accused of reneging on a promise to keep an FBI agent in London to monitor China’s new embassy, sources told The New York Times.
The FBI director’s visit to London in May got off to a rocky start when British officials informed him that he would not be able to land at an airport closer to his hotel for security reasons.
Tensions later escalated when Patel was denied his own armed guards by British cops – despite his CIA counterpart being permitted his own security detail.
He brought his 27-year-old country music star girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, on the trip which also included a dinner with King Charles at Windsor Castle.
Patel also reportedly upset his British colleagues by wearing a hoodie and trucker hat, and grew frustrated by the number of meetings he was invited to attend.
The details of Patel’s visit to the UK were leaked to the New York Times – the latest to strike the FBI chief who has been beset by claims that he is out of his depth and frequently clashes with more experienced intelligence colleagues.
The latest claims center around a dispute involving an FBI agent who was withdrawn from London – despite Patel reportedly assuring Britain’s MI5 Director Ken McCallum that he’d remain to help monitor China’s new embassy near the Tower of London.
Kash Patel and his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins, with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office
Patel and his girlfriend had dinner with King Charles III during his May trip to the United Kingdom
Britain’s domestic secret service is reliant on the FBI’s advanced surveillance tools to monitor Beijing’s officials at the consulate.
But the agent’s job was already on the chopping block as part of budget cuts from the White House when Patel made his promise.
Soon after the FBI agent was reassigned to the US, saving the agency money but left British spy officials shocked, according to NY Times.
Patel’s disregard for one of America’s top allies came after his awkward and controversial arrival in the country.
The FBI chief’s airplane was scheduled to land at Stansted Airport outside London, frustrating Patel who wanted to be closer to his hotel. British officials cited unknown security reasons.
British cops, moreover, demanded Patel’s security detail not be armed due to the country’s strict gun control laws.
When Patel’s team appealed for a pass based on risk assessment, they were denied after law enforcement concluded Patel didn’t meet the threshold for an exemption.
Security details for the directors of the CIA and National Security Agency were granted exemptions, according to the Times.
Trump met with King Charles III in Britain in September for a high-profile summit
Patel shocked British officials when he attended a security meeting wearing a trucker hat
An emergency meeting was held between the FBI and British security officials to resolve the matter, but the UK would not give in.
An anonymous FBI official denied to the NY Times that there had been a dispute regarding Patel’s security detail.
Additionally, Patel was reportedly annoyed by the number of meetings he was scheduled to be present in.
An FBI source told the Times that Patel demanded to know which meetings were essential so he could try to fit in other work.
Patel, who frequently wears informal casual clothing at events, shocked British security officials when he arrived wearing a trucker hat and a green hooded sweatshirt, a former US official told the Times.
When McCallum asked Patel to keep the FBI agent in London to help monitor the Chinese officials, Patel assured him that he would find funding to keep the agent in the UK.
McCallum, according to the Times, is a mild-mannered Scotsman known for his cozy relationship with Patel’s FBI predecessor Christopher Wray.
The funding for the agent’s assignment in London had already been cut before Patel left Britain. It is not clear if Patel was aware of that development before he made his promise to British security officials.
Two former US officials told the Times that Patel’s aides had been briefed on the cut beforehand.
Before departing Britain, Patel along with his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, had dinner at Windsor Castle with King Charles.
The FBI director stood next to the king at the end of the night for a photograph.
