FBI Director Kash Patel, an avid hockey fan who drank a beer with the U.S. men’s team during an Olympic trip that the bureau insisted was not “personal,” reportedly worked hard on an itinerary that included private meals, “personal time” and “cultural activities” in the second half of his four days in Italy.

The New York Times has reported that Patel’s agenda on Saturday included a 20-minute briefing with the Olympic security team and a 30-minute tour of a joint security operations site before attending a “private lunch with an unspecified guest.”

His Sunday schedule assigned just two events: Team USA’s gold medal game against Canada and his flight back to the United States.

Patel arrived in Rome Thursday night ahead of a dinner with the U.S. ambassador to Italy, billionaire Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta.

On Friday, he had an hour-long meeting with the head of Italy’s internal security and intelligence agency before a photo session with Italian authorities, an “aperitif” (a pre-meal drink or snack) at the Italian Interior Ministry and a series of other “ceremonial events,” according to the Times. He then flew to Milan to watch the U.S. men’s team beat Slovakia and secure a spot in the gold medal final.

Patel’s trip using the FBI’s Gulfstream plane was estimated to cost taxpayers up to $75,000, according to MS NOW.

FBI Director Kash Patel looks out over the Milano Santagiulia ice hockey arena before Sunday's gold medal game between Team USA and Canada at the Winter Olympics.
FBI Director Kash Patel looks out over the Milano Santagiulia ice hockey arena before Sunday’s gold medal game between Team USA and Canada at the Winter Olympics.

Elsa via Getty Images

Patel has faced intense backlash in the United States, with critics pointing to old comments in which he criticized then-FBI Director Chris Wray for using a government-funded plane to “go on vacation.”

Last year, Patel came under scrutiny for using a plane to see his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins, perform at a wrestling event in Pennsylvania. He later defended the move, arguing that he was not allowed to fly on commercial flights. (Since 2011, the FBI director must travel on government planes to access secure communications.)

He also talked about his last trip.

FBI spokesman Ben Williamson, who said the Olympic trip was planned months in advance to prepare for the bureau’s security role at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, told the Times: “Director Patel had very productive meetings in Italy focused on strengthening joint counterterrorism coordination, combating transnational crime, extradition of high-value targets and Olympic security planning with our closest allies.”

He continued: “The leaking of your minute-by-minute schedule is a criminal act that endangers security and will not be taken lightly.”

The Times noted that the schedule “broadly corresponds” to a broader summary of his affairs provided to members of the media and included about six public meetings and two classified meetings. It included when official meetings begin and end, suggesting that the FBI director had long periods of time to do whatever he wanted.

Sources close to Patel told the Times that he incorporated “some element of work” into much of his free time.

On Monday, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe disagreed, telling CNN that the trip was “completely inappropriate” considering the bureau’s role in possible military action against Iran and the investigation into the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie.