Emails reveal FBI director snorkeled over USS Arizona memorial in Hawaii

Government emails obtained through a public records request show FBI Director Kash Patel joined a restricted VIP snorkeling session over the sunken USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor in August, a visit the bureau never publicly disclosed, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The disclosure adds to mounting criticism of Patel's use of the FBI director's plane and government resources; the USS Arizona is a federally protected war grave where more than 900 sailors and Marines have rested since Japan bombed and sank the battleship in 1941.

The Navy coordinated logistics and personnel for the August excursion, which took place one day after Patel opened the FBI's first standalone office in Wellington, New Zealand. The FBI's plane remained on the island for two nights before flying to Las Vegas, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Navy Capt. Jodie Cornell, a spokeswoman, confirmed the outing but said the service was unable to determine who initiated it.

Snorkeling and diving are generally prohibited around the USS Arizona, which has held the remains of more than 900 sailors and Marines since Japan bombed and sank the battleship in 1941. Access is normally limited to marine archaeologists, National Park Service crews and rare official excursions. The National Park Service said it was not involved in Patel's swim. According to ABC7 Los Angeles, the Navy and park service have quietly allowed dignitaries to swim at the site since at least the Obama administration.

Critics condemned the outing as a serious lapse in judgment. "It fits a pattern of Director Patel getting tangled up in unseemly distractions — this time at a site commemorating the second deadliest attack in U.S. history — instead of staying laser-focused on keeping Americans safe," said Stacey Young, founder of Justice Connection. Marine veteran Hack Albertson, a member of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, offered a starker assessment: "It's like having a bachelor party at a church. It's hallowed ground. It needs to be treated with the solemnity it deserves."

Participants were briefed not to touch the sunken ship and were told of its significance as a final resting place. Former acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who has also snorkeled over the Arizona, disputed the recreational framing. "It was a very somber and meaningful event. It was a historical tour. It wasn't a recreational thing," Miller said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

No FBI director going back to at least 1993 has snorkeled at the USS Arizona memorial, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. The disclosure intensifies scrutiny of Patel's broader travel habits, including frequent use of the FBI's Gulfstream G550 aircraft, which has a published range of 7,700 miles.

The USS Arizona remains a war grave jointly maintained by the National Park Service and the U.S. Navy. Who authorized Patel's dive — and why it was never publicly announced — remains unexplained.