FBI Director Kash Patel celebrated with the US men’s ice hockey team in the locker room on Sunday after winning the gold medal at the Winter Olympics.
Videos circulating on social media showed a jubilant Patel drinking beer straight from the bottle and splashing the rest around the locker room. After placing his gold medal around Patel’s neck, the player joined the team and jumped up and down with them.
Xochitl Hinojosa, a spokeswoman for former Attorney General Merrick Garland, criticized Patel’s actions in a post on X. “The president’s MAL residence was in danger, Americans in Mexico face major threats from cartel members, Nancy Guthrie is still missing, and our FBI director thinks he’s a brat?” she said.
Patel responded to the criticism by saying he felt “extremely humbled when my friends, newly minted Team USA Gold Medalists, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys.”
The FBI director justified his official trip to Italy by meeting with Italian law enforcement officials and Americans involved in Olympic security. This week, he shared photos from his visit to the Milan Joint Operations Center, which he says is responsible for protecting American athletes and all visitors to the Winter Games. He also posted a picture of his meeting with the US ambassador to Italy.
Meanwhile, while Patel was in Milan, the US Secret Service fatally shot a gunman who drove into Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s Florida resort. As the game against Canada neared overtime a few hours later, Patel turned to X and said the FBI was “dedicating all necessary resources to the investigation.”
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Mar-a-Lago shooting
A gunman entered the secure grounds of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach resort in Florida, early Sunday and was fatally shot, a U.S. Secret Service spokesman confirmed.
Trump, who often spends weekends at Mar-a-Lago, was at the White House at the time of the incident, which occurred around 1:30 a.m.
Officials said the man was armed with a shotgun and was carrying a gas canister. The FBI identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, and authorities said his family recently filed a missing person’s report, according to the Associated Press.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the man is believed to have purchased his shotgun while traveling south, and a firearm case was later found in his vehicle.
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Authorities have not determined the reason for the incident. But Trump has faced threats before, including two assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign.
The investigation is still ongoing. According to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, the man entered the property through the north gate as another vehicle was leaving and was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy.
During the press conference, Bradshaw said, “He was ordered to drop the two pieces of equipment he had on him. At that point, he put the gas canister down and raised the shotgun to a firing position.” Two agents and a deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”
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The Moore County Sheriff’s Department in North Carolina said a family member reported Martin missing early Sunday morning.
The authorities are trying to create a psychological profile of the individual. Asked if he had any previous interactions with law enforcement, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said, “Not now.” The FBI has urged residents in the Mar-a-Lago area to review any security camera footage they may have that could help with the investigation.
