The FBI director is supposed to project discipline, gravity and control. Instead, Kash Patel is battling backlash over beer, locker room celebrations and a very public defense from his girlfriend that only fueled the fire.

Patel’s four-day trip to the Winter Olympics in Milan was billed by the Bureau as official business — a mix of security coordination and high-level meetings. But images and reports of the 46-year-old FBI chief celebrating with the U.S. men’s hockey team after their gold medal victory have sparked anger not just from Democrats, but from conservatives who once cheered his rise.

Now, Patel’s girlfriend, aspiring country singer Alexis Wilkins, 27, is stepping into the fray.

On her Rumble show Between the Headlines, Wilkins accused critics of falling “victim to the fake news” and insisted the Bureau was “providing security” at the event.

“What I will say is the Bureau has long-been in charge of providing security for the Olympics and that’s what was happening,” Wilkins said Wednesday, brushing aside questions about whether Patel had misused government resources to drink beer in the locker room after Team USA’s stunning defeat of Canada and eventual gold medal win.

“I’ve never seen so many conservatives fall victim to the fake news,” she added.

Patel has defended his presence, saying he was “invited” into the locker room to celebrate and that he helped facilitate a call between the team and President Donald Trump, who later invited the players to attend the State of the Union address.

An FBI spokesperson, Ben Williamson, backed up the director’s account, describing the Italy visit as months in the making.

“Director Patel had highly productive meetings in Italy focused on strengthening joint counterterrorism coordination, transnational crime enforcement, the extradition of high-value targets and Olympic security planning with our closest allies,” Williamson said in a statement.

But an internal schedule obtained by The New York Times painted a more complicated picture. According to the report, Patel’s itinerary included hours of downtime between official meetings, along with meet-and-greets, private meals and “cultural activities.”

Williamson blasted the disclosure of the schedule as a “criminal act that jeopardizes security,” warning that leaks would not be taken lightly.

The controversy arrives amid broader scrutiny of Patel’s leadership style and travel habits. Since becoming FBI director, he has faced accusations of misusing the FBI jet for personal travel, including visits to Wilkins. Patel has countered that the director is required to use the jet for both personal and official trips and must reimburse the government at the cost of a commercial ticket for personal legs.

Still, critics argue that optics matter — especially for the head of the nation’s top law enforcement agency.

Whistleblowers within the Bureau have also raised concerns about Patel’s management, alleging he prioritizes public image and loyalty to Trump over internal operations. Both Patel and the FBI have denied those claims.

The Olympics episode has struck a nerve in conservative circles because it clashes with the tough-on-accountability rhetoric many Republicans deploy against federal officials. For some on the right, images of the FBI director celebrating abroad — while the Bureau grapples with domestic security threats and internal morale questions — feel jarring.

Wilkins’ decision to publicly scold conservatives has only deepened the divide. Instead of tamping down the story, her remarks ensured another news cycle of attention — and amplified questions about whether Patel’s leadership is becoming defined as much by spectacle as substance.