Something I’ve noticed since joining The Observer is how difficult it is to be in the public eye, even in a small way. While writing for the university publication is a far cry from the level of stress many professional journalists face, having my name attached to my opinions and made public online does make me somewhat uneasy, and I’m sure there are others who can relate. After all, a necessary byproduct of having my work published is that I invite people I’ve never met before to react to my personal values through compliments and criticisms alike. Regardless of how it may make me feel, however, this critical examination of public figures and their arguments is highly important. Discussion and disagreement are key steps to achieving social progress, as well as simply working to understand the world in which we live. And while it’s good to hold accountable student journalists like myself, it’s even more important for the people we’ve charged with running our government.
The higher the position, the more scrutiny politicians face — and for good reason. Selecting leaders who serve the public interest is one of the privileges of living in a democracy, so when they fall short, it’s up to us to call them out for it. Recently, FBI director Kash Patel has drawn criticism from the public regarding the use — or misuse, as some argue — of his government jet. As FBI director, Patel is required to take the $60-million plane whenever he travels for security reasons, but many people have taken issue with his use of the aircraft for various personal trips. For instance, he has frequently flown out to visit his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, traveling to watch her perform at a wrestling event at Penn State in October and often visiting her home in Tennessee.
Naturally, someone has to pay for Patel’s flights, and unfortunately, that burden falls largely on taxpayers. While the FBI director must reimburse the government for the price of a commercial airline ticket each time he flies, this constitutes a small fraction of the total cost. As conservative commentator Brett Cooper pointed out, it costs around $15,000 per flight — most of which taxpayers pay for.
Like many taxpayers, I find it a bit hard to swallow that for each of Patel’s flights, we bear the brunt of the bill. While it is unrealistic to expect we will never have to pay a dime for Patel’s flights, it would be helpful to have some clarity on whether we are funding trips for business or personal reasons. And to some extent, I think it’s reasonable for Patel to take a not government-related flight — to get home, for example — once in a while. However, the number of times he has done so since his appointment seems to suggest an abuse of power and an exploitation of the very taxpayers who supported him.
To me, the most frustrating part of the entire controversy has to do with some comments Patel made on his podcast two years ago. In the particular episode, Patel called out then-FBI director Christopher Wray for his “private jet travel that he pays for with taxpayer dollars to hop around the country” and argued for the privilege of using the private jet to be revoked. Clearly Patel has changed his mind — now, finding himself in the same governmental position, he is doing the same thing for which he condemned Wray. This hypocrisy is not only bad for Patel’s image, but it puts forth a negative image for the current administration, which touted transparency as one of its main goals.
I think the whole situation with Patel has broader implications for society. For one, it’s disheartening to witness how power and authority can easily change people’s values. It’s easy for us to shout about the need for transparency and integrity, but Patel’s complete 180 on this illustrates just how difficult it can be to fight against the allure of power. Still, we can acknowledge these challenges without excusing his actions. The public who supported Patel’s appointment as FBI director should not back down in calling for his integrity. It’s time we started holding people accountable in the public eye — especially when the power they wield comes directly from us.
Noirin Dempsey is a freshman from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin currently living in McGlinn Hall. When she’s not studying English and journalism, she can usually be found playing piano in the McGlinn chapel, wandering the snack aisle at Trader Joe’s or watching the Chicago Bears lose football games. You can contact Noirin at ndempsey@nd.edu.
