The Brett Cooper Show

Episode 90: "Kash Patel Is Having the Worst Week of His Career"
Release Date: November 8, 2025
Host: Brett Cooper

Episode Overview

This episode of The Brett Cooper Show takes a deep dive into the ongoing controversy surrounding Kash Patel, current FBI Director, and his questionable use of a government jet for personal matters. Brett Cooper explores the broader implications of transparency, accountability, and hypocrisy within government leadership, particularly as they pertain to someone like Patel, who has previously built his public persona on demanding exactly those virtues from others. The episode dissects the public backlash Patel is facing among conservatives, his handling of the crisis, and the apparent disconnect between his rhetoric as a commentator and his actions as a public official.

Key Points & Insights

1. Kash Patel’s Jet Usage Goes Public

[00:00 – 03:52]

• Kash Patel, FBI Director and former podcaster known for outspoken calls for transparency, is embroiled in controversy after reportedly using his FBI jet for personal travel—specifically to see his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania and then flying to Nashville.
• The backlash erupted on social media, especially among the MAGA base and conservative circles, due to the timing: a government shutdown had left federal employees furloughed, making Patel's use of a taxpayer-funded jet for personal reasons appear even more egregious.

“The optics are just absolutely terrible... The last thing Americans want to see is a government employee jet-setting around on their private plane.” — Brett Cooper [00:52]

2. Attempts to Hide Flight Information

[03:53 onwards, after ad read]

• Patel requested the government restrict public tracking of his flights, contradicting his platform of transparency.
• Allegedly, Patel then fired Stephen Palmer, a senior FBI official in charge of aviation security, seemingly in response to the leak of his travel details.
• This move intensified public outcry and failed to stop tracking—interested parties paid for premium tracking access instead.

“[Patel] had the audacity to request that the government shut down public tracking of his plane. I mean, I thought that we were the transparent administration.” — Brett Cooper [01:47]

3. Community Backlash and Online Sleuthing

• Broad frustration is directed at Patel for failing to live up to his own standards. Kyle Serafin, a podcaster and critic, continues to track Patel’s movements despite the block on free tracking.
• Serafin makes light of the situation with a joking map overlay:

“Mar-a-Lago trip: reporting to duty. Nashville, Saturday flight: reporting for booty. Is that why you’re going there, Kash Patel?” — Brett Cooper citing Kyle Serafin [06:35]

4. Patel’s Public Response Fumbles

• Patel releases a defensive public statement, deflecting criticism onto alleged attacks against his girlfriend, Alexis Wilkins, instead of addressing the central issue.
• Brett rebukes this:

“Nobody was attacking Alexis right now. This was not about her... People are attacking you for your use of taxpayer funded planes for personal use.” — Brett Cooper [07:58]

5. The Rules: Personal Use of Government Jets

• Context provided: Since 9/11, FBI Directors are mandated to use government aircraft, and must reimburse the government at the commercial equivalent cost for personal travel—but the majority of expenses are still taxpayer funded.
• A hearing from September is referenced, showcasing Patel’s defensive responses when questioned by Senator Peter Welch.

Notable Exchange—Congressional Hearing [09:16 – 10:23]

• Senator Welch: “We didn’t make it mandatory that you go to UFC games with Milt Gibson.”
• Patel: “Are you telling me I can’t go home?”
• Welch: “I don’t go home on a private jet on April 5th.”
• Patel admits attending events and flying for personal reasons but asserts he reimburses commercial equivalent costs.

6. Patel’s Past Criticisms Haunt Him

• Compilations of old quotes and posts are played, illustrating that Patel previously condemned exactly this kind of behavior in officials:

“Chris Wray doesn’t need a government funded G5 jet to go to vacation. Maybe we ground that plane, $15,000 every time it takes off.” — Kash Patel (2023) [11:32]

“Ray mandates himself to fly in a private jet we pay for. Will you shut that waste down?” — Kash Patel, old Truth Social post [11:49]

• Brett highlights the core irony: Patel is now engaging in and defending the same practices he called “waste” and “lack of accountability.”

7. Other Contributing Scandals

• Additional controversy: Patel allegedly confronted Joe Kent at the National Counterterrorism Center for investigating connections in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, an inquiry some (including Patel and Pam Bondi) viewed as overreach.
• Brett defends Kent’s actions as reasonable for his role and notes that Patel’s blowup further suggests he is under immense stress or “on edge.”

8. Final Analysis: Hypocrisy, Accountability, and Transparency

• Brett summarizes the sense of betrayal felt by Patel’s supporters, who expected transparency and reform.
• She calls for Patel to publicly acknowledge either the complexity of the position or the limitations created by existing law, rather than resorting to defensiveness and obfuscation.
• Brett reads and agrees with a pointed comment from a listener:

“Criticism of public figures is not violence. It is not a threat. It is protected speech. And trying to brand it as jeopardizing safety sounds a lot like the same woke authoritarianism that you claim to oppose. If you want respect, earn it through transparency and accountability, not emotional grandstanding and censorship theater.” — Listener comment, quoted by Brett Cooper [17:41]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Brett Cooper Explains The Core Issue:
  “The optics are just absolutely terrible. But, guys, that was not even the final straw... After people started talking about where he was flying and why... Kash requested—the audacity to request—that the government shut down public tracking of his plane.” [00:51–01:50]

• Kyle Serafin’s Satirical Tracking:
  “Mar a Lago trip, reporting to duty... Nashville, Saturday flight, reporting for booty.” [06:35]
  (Kyle Serafin, cited by Brett)

• Patel's Defensive PR Statement:
  “Criticize me all you want, but going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace... Attacking [Alexis] isn’t just wrong, it is cowardly and jeopardizes our safety.” [07:23]
  (Statement read by Brett)

• Brett’s Rejoinder:
  “Nobody was attacking Alexis right now... People are attacking you for your use of taxpayer funded planes for personal use.” [07:58]

• Highlighting Hypocrisy:
  “Cash has become everything that he once criticized and therefore his audience, the people that rallied behind him... have a right to question things. They have a right to be mad.” [13:24]

• Listener Comment On Transparency:
  “Criticism of public figures is not violence. It is not a threat. It is protected speech. And trying to brand it as jeopardizing safety sounds a lot like the same woke authoritarianism that you claim to oppose. If you want respect, earn it through transparency and accountability, not emotional grandstanding and censorship theater.” [17:41]

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 — Introduction: Kash Patel’s jet use scandal, why it matters right now
• 01:47 — Kash Patel requests shutdown of public jet tracking
• 03:54 — Palmer fired; “cover-up” intensifies
• 06:35 — Kyle Serafin’s tracking / public reactions
• 07:23 — Patel’s public statement and Brett’s response
• 09:16 – 10:23 — Congressional hearing: Patel grilled, admits flying for events
• 11:32 — Patel’s past criticism (“Chris Wray doesn’t need a G5”)
• 12:37 — Patel’s old call for FBI jet accountability and transparency
• 13:24 — Brett’s core analysis: hypocrisy and supporter betrayal
• 17:41 — Listener comment: transparency and protected speech

Episode Tone & Takeaway

Brett Cooper’s tone is incredulous, sharp, and occasionally playful. She holds no punches in dissecting Patel’s self-inflicted PR disaster, wielding a blend of factual detail, throwback clips, and pointed commentary to drive home the disconnect between Patel’s pre-office persona and his behavior as FBI Director. The episode serves as a case study in the perils of hypocrisy, the unyielding demands of public accountability, and what happens when you fail to live by the standards you set for others.

Ultimate message: You cannot run on transparency and accountability, then demand cover-ups and expect the public not to notice. In a world increasingly shaped by skepticism and rapid information sharing, hypocrisy is not just a liability—it’s a career-ender.