Why Was the FBI Director in the Locker Room... Chugging a Beer at the U.S. Ice Hockey Team's Gold-Medal Party

"Taxpayers' Money Funding a Vacation," Critics Say
Controversy Over Being Abroad on the Day of the Shooting
FBI Says It Was for "Consultations with European Authorities"

Questions are being raised about the appropriateness of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) attending an event celebrating the U.S. men's national ice hockey team's gold-medal victory at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.

On the 24th, Yonhap News reported that FBI Director Kash Patel, the head of the Bureau, joined the U.S. team's locker-room party in Milan, Italy, immediately after the men's ice hockey final at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, where the U.S. defeated Canada to win gold.

Patel Kash, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was drinking beer with the players on the 22nd (local time) to celebrate the United States men's national ice hockey team's victory. X

The released video shows Director Patel putting a beer bottle to his mouth and chugging it, cheering loudly, and personally placing a gold medal around one of the players' necks. This has prompted criticism over whether such behavior was appropriate for the head of a federal law enforcement agency. The controversy was further inflamed by the fact that a shooting incident occurred in the United States on the same day.

That day, a man in his 20s carrying a firearm broke into the security perimeter of Mar-a-Lago in Florida, where President Donald Trump’s private residence is located, and was shot dead by Secret Service agents and others. Critics argue that it was inappropriate for the FBI Director to be overseas attending a celebration at a time when an incident directly tied to national security had taken place. The FBI explained that Director Patel was visiting the region to hold consultations with European authorities.

However, public criticism has not easily subsided, given that Director Patel previously caused an uproar for using an FBI government aircraft for personal purposes. Representative Jason Crow criticized on X (X), saying, "Taxpayers' dollars are funding the FBI Director's vacation in Italy."

On the other hand, among those who support Director Patel, some say his behavior was "patriotic." According to the Associated Press, there has also been a reaction that it was a "good-faith show of support" for the team that delivered the United States its first gold medal in 46 years in men's ice hockey, the most popular event of the Winter Olympics.

United States men's ice hockey team that defeated Canada to win at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. AFP Yonhap News

Meanwhile, the U.S. women's national ice hockey team, which also won gold, declined President Trump's invitation to the White House. According to the Associated Press, the team said in a statement, "We appreciate the invitation, but due to academic and club team commitments after the tournament, it will be difficult for us to attend."

President Trump is also said to have invited the men's national team, but as the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) schedules resumed, it reportedly became practically difficult for the players to attend. According to officials, the invitation was conveyed belatedly, making it hard to change flight arrangements. The White House has reportedly not issued any separate official statement regarding the refusal of the invitations by the men's and women's national teams.