FBI Director Patel Under Fire Over USS Arizona Snorkel Trip

Kash Patel faces mounting criticism after reports he snorkeled near the wreck of the USS Arizona, a federal protected site holding the remains of more than 1,000 service members.

FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly participated in a snorkeling excursion around the sunken USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The USS Arizona is a designated war grave containing the remains of 1,177 sailors and marines killed in the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack.
Federal law prohibits diving on or disturbing the wreck site, which sits beneath the USS Arizona Memorial.
The National Park Service manages the memorial and surrounding waters under strict access restrictions.
No public statement had been issued by the FBI or the Department of the Interior as of the time of filing.

FBI Director Kash Patel is facing scrutiny after reports emerged that he participated in a snorkeling outing near the wreck of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — a federally protected war grave holding the remains of more than 1,177 sailors and marines.

The Arizona sank on December 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Federal law designates the wreck as a national historic landmark and prohibits unauthorized diving or disturbance of the site, which the National Park Service actively manages.

Critics and veterans' advocates condemned the reported outing as a desecration of a sacred military site. The wreck still leaks fuel oil, known to visitors as the “tears of the Arizona.”

Neither the FBI nor the Department of the Interior issued a public comment confirming or explaining the circumstances of the visit as of Friday.

The Guardian, which first reported the story on May 16, cited accounts placing Patel in the water near the memorial during a Hawaii trip. The News was unable to independently verify the precise details of his access to the restricted zone.

Congressional veterans' affairs members are expected to seek a formal accounting of the visit in the coming days.