Fears grow FBI head Kash Patel isn’t taking his job seriously as he skips morning briefings and frequently attends UFC fights

Fears are increasing that FBI Director Kash Patel is not taking the occupation arsenic earnestly arsenic helium should be, aft reportedly upending the mean briefing docket and spending overmuch of his clip hanging retired with celebrities astatine sporting events.

Directors of the bureau typically be a regular 8.30 a.m. gathering during which they are briefed connected the astir important quality and instrumentality enforcement information, collated by thousands of analysts.

On Wednesday afternoons, the FBI brag besides typically holds a unafraid video teleconference with the leaders of nationalist tract offices to stock accusation astir bureau priorities.

However, sources told NBC News that dissimilar his predecessors, Patel has taken to shifting the regular greeting briefing to conscionable 2 days a week. The sources – 2 existent officials with nonstop cognition and 2 erstwhile FBI and Justice Department officials – said helium has besides stopped the Wednesday conference.

His behaviour has raised concerns that helium is not taking his presumption seriously, the sources said, adding that those who worked connected the regular greeting briefings had been told that the docket was changed due to the fact that Patel sometimes failed to get connected time.

Patel has been pictured alongside his brag Donald Trump and different celebrities, astatine assorted events including the UFC. He’s a wide fan, aft it was antecedently reported that helium considered bringing successful trainers from the UFC to beef up agents’ martial arts and self-defense skills.

According to formation logs reviewed by NBC News, Patel appears to person made 3 flights connected FBI planes to Nashville, Tennessee, wherever his woman lives, 2 flights to Las Vegas and a formation to New York, wherever helium attended a hockey crippled – and was pictured alongside NHL fable Wayne Gretzky.

An FBI spokesperson declined to remark connected whether the six trips reported by the outlet progressive enactment activities, but said that each ethical guidelines had been followed “rigorously.”

The Independent has reached retired to the FBI for remark connected the reported changes to the bureau’s briefing schedule.

An FBI spokesperson told NBC confirmed the simplification successful 8:30 a.m. briefings but said Patel attends 5 greeting meetings each week. He denied that Patel had arrived precocious to meetings.

Officials besides told the outlet that the play teleconference was canned owed to “attempted leaks” that had led to a bid of nationalist quality stories, but added that Patel regularly speaks to tract offices.