Kash Patel faces scrutiny over snorkeling outing at USS Arizona memorial in Hawaii

The FBI director, Kash Patel, is facing new scrutiny following reports that he participated in a snorkeling excursion around the USS Arizona during a trip to Hawaii last summer. The outing was first reported this week by the Associated Press, which obtained government emails describing the excursion as a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona – the site that holds the remains of more than 1,000 US navy sailors and marines who died at Pearl Harbor in 1941. According to the AP, the outing was coordinated by the military, and took place in August during a two-day stop in Hawaii as Patel returned to the US from official visits to Australia and New Zealand. Patel had also stopped in Hawaii earlier in the trip, and visited the FBI’s Honolulu field office. On Friday, the New York Times also reported that nine other people joined Patel on the tour and the navy confirmed to the Times that the FBI director swam in vicinity of the tomb for 30 minutes. When asked for comment, the FBI referred the Guardian to a statement released earlier this week in response to the initial AP report, in which a spokesperson for the FBI accused the outlet of “attempting to spin an invitation from the Commanding General of Indo Pacom to a military base as a party or vacation, which is so stupid”. …