Hey, the folks, it is Friday, May fifteenth. First it was the drinking. Now the snorkeling. Cash Battel just can't catch a brain. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. Roges. We haven't discussed this fully ahead of time, but there's a VIP snorkeling headline that for some reason has now caused controversy with cash Battel. Before we get into it, do you think he's earned and deserves this one or you think they're giving him a hard time.
I don't think it's appropriate for the FBI director to go snorkeling on quote unquote official business.
I called BS on that okay period, right.
All right, I didn't know you were gonna go that route. Well, right, let's get into this now, folks. If you haven't seen the headlines, the um what was the word you like?
The embattled embattled FBI director.
Yes, it seems like rose that we hear about. Every time his name is in the headline is usually for something negative, or because of a fumble, or because of something he has done, and this time it has to do with VIP snorkeling. This is a little confusing. Let's bottom line this thing, Robes. He was on a trip to New Zealand. He stopped off in Hawaii to check out the FBI office there on his way to New Zealand. Okay, and did his business in New Zealand, and he was
on his way back home to the US. On his way back, he stopped in Hawaii again. And it's there where he took this VIP snorkeling excursion at the hallowed ground of a sunken US naval vessel during Pearl Harbor with nine hundred sailors. It's their resting place. He got a tour of this on his way back. Okay, Here
in lies where things get a little sketchy. Is that the second part of that trip, where he stopped a second time in Hawaii and took that VIP snorkeling trip, was not public liqually exposed or released as part of his schedule. The AP just dug it up in some emails. Okay, there we go, we're caught up, Robes. Let's get into the details.
It's funny though, you said exposed. I mean the point being, why wouldn't the FBI. I mean, look, if he is on taxpayer dime, is he not of course, yes, everything he does. Everyone who pays taxes is funding what he is doing to Yes, reportedly, yes, officially, he's supposed to be the head of.
Law enforcement basically in this country.
So why does he need to, on taxpayer dime make a second layover in Hawaii to go snorkeling? What how did that have anything to do with his job? On taxpayer dime? Look, I have taken my share of workations, and I've joked about it plenty, but that is a private company.
You have some downtime when you're away from family.
I have absolutely and will fully admit I have enjoyed and had downtime while on a work trip. But I am not on the taxpayers dime. He's is on an official work trip to take a diversion to another stop better.
Than a vacation. He just had a little stop over on a work trip.
Okay, there is it were his only incursion then maybe, But why okay, why weren't they transparent about it? There?
It is, it's just adding to it, and we have to admit that is adding to this story. So and we keep saying VIP snorkeling robes. This is very important to give context to what this is this is not a place. And again he didn't just go out and look at some fish, right, It's that's not what we mean when we say VTP snorkeling. He went to a place that the public can't go.
It's a it's not allowed.
And I believe it was reported by the AP. I want to make sure I get this right that no FBI director dating back to I guess nineteen ninety three, has ever gone snorkeling at the memorial.
Okay, So, and we're talking about it's the USS Arizona. This was bombed by Japan. It sank back in nineteen forty one, nine hundred sailors. It's a cemetery. Robes, absolutely right. So the public isn't allowed to go there. It's completely off limits. The area you can't get to, they say without a boat. So it's even dangerous, they say to do this, But but they have from time to time, on rare occasions, VIPs and dignitaries have been taken out
to this site. Now oftentimes robes. Yes, those dignitaries, those VIPs are associated with the US military. Correct, which would make a little more sense perhaps, But this wasn't just that we should we just want to make clear. And we kept saying snorkeling. A lot of the headlines say VIP snorkeling. He's like, what the hell? This wasn't just some regular snorkeling adventure. So people take issue with two things there, Robes. One, your point is like, why are
you taking time to do this? Why are you bothering? Two? Why didn't you tell us about it?
Right?
If it was just so okay and not a big deal, then include it on your itinerary, which should be made public because you are a servant of the public period. So for you to not include it and to not even disclose that you stopped for a second time back in Hawaii again on taxpayer money, I think you knew that it wasn't kosher, it wasn't above board. Otherwise you just would have put it out there for public consumption, as you're supposed to do. There's only one reason not
to disclose something. It's because it might look bad or it is wrong, one of the two or both.
And they say this, and I'm trying to give only the context I know, Robes is that these are trips that do happen rarely. They're really rare and that's fine, I guess Rodes, but it just for him right now, this is another embarrassing headline. This is another headline having to do with the FBI director doing something else that takes attention away from the administration, takes attention away from
any wins they might have had. And so once again everybody's talking about and what's today Robes at Friday, you think they're putting together a snorkeling skit for SNL for tomorrow.
I think so.
Look, according to the AP, I thought this was an interesting perspective. And look, they are the ones who broke this story, who wrote the article. But they talked to a marine veteran who's part of a group from the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
They're trained to.
Make these dives and they do it, I believe, once a year to check on the condition of the ship and just make sure it's okay. And he's specif he gave his name. He gave a statement to the AP saying it was inappropriate for the FBI director to snorkel or dive at the memorial.
And here is his quote.
It's like having a bachelor party at a church. It's a hollowed ground. It needs to be treated with the solemnity it deserves.
And I think we can all agree with that one hundred percent. But that the issue there would be they shouldn't ever allow these tours.
Right exactly, Well, yes, unless there's some necessity for it, just curiosity, and I've got a position, so I get to check it out. I understand that happens and goes on all over the world and all over the country. But when you have an FBI director who's already been questioned about where his priorities lie, this isn't a good look.
Yes, oh, by goodness, yes, having to do with travel and what he's doing on the company dime, as you keep saying.
The FBI plane, Well does it.
We see this a lot of times, and I saw folks talking about it in this context of members of the military generals or lead to military leaders who go out who happened to be out there and have taken this tour or something in the past robes. Don't we see presidents go to the tomb of the unknown soldier. We see people even when they go overseas, they'll stop at memorials World War iiO memorials. They take it in right,
there is great value as there not to that. And it seems like for at least members of the military, if they were going out on these tours and to I don't know, get some context to honor those to be there, to be a part of it, not just for some fun excursion. I thought, when people put it that way, I said, oh, I can understand why a tour like this might be a solemn almost you feel like a duty almost to give honor in some way that I could understand.
It absolutely feels offensive for it to feel as though it could even appear to be a tourist attraction because there are still remains being interred from that wreckage. I did not realize this. But as they go down and dive and they check the wreckage, they are still finding remains, they are still creating. Just there are people who lost loved ones whose remains are still there entrapped in that vessel. So yeah, I can understand why some people take great
offense to anyone. And look, yes he's the FBI director, and yes, perhaps maybe he did take it all in in that very way. Maybe he did look at it as an honor and paid his respects to those who lost their lives.
We don't know.
But the whole point is we don't know because he didn't tell us he did it, and we're just now finding out about it. So sometimes, as you've often said, it's not the crime, it's the cover up, and it makes even if it wasn't a crime, it looks like it might have been because you didn't tell us, because even omitting something is still lie.
It's a lie by a mission.
I have it right. It was last summer, correct, and we're just finding out about it. I don't know. I mean you the way you just made this pop in my head. Right, if this was okay? Announce it ahead of time?
Yeah, exactly.
Uh.
Director Patel will go pay his respects and as an honor that he was invited out is being taken out by this elite unit. Give them love all kinds of things that have been done.
Find some way to pay, like to yes, to actually shine a spotlight on the work that's being done and the lives that were lost, and just a reminder of how great this country is and what we've endured. Like make it a part of just your duties by acknowledging it and giving it a little bit of a spotlight.
Even so, I don't know what their calculation was, But to your point here repeatedly robes, it's in line like if the locker room hadn't happened, if the thing the reports about the girlfriend and her security detail hadn't happened, if the reports about him using the plane for personal use hadn't happened, if all of this stuff, if the Atlantic report.
How about the one that you've just left out, that big old doozy about yes, his issues with drinking on the job and not being able to be woken up or found with massive hangovers after public bouts of drinking, yeah, or freaking out, assuming that you're going to be fired and you're calling everyone assuming the worst. I mean, yes, he's had a long list, unfortunately for him, of bad publicity, and this certainly does not help.
And things we just listed romes are missteps not even having to do with the job. There were mistreps having to do with actual investigations as well. But as you can imagine, they do have a response. Stay here, we will let you know, let you hear word for word, how the FBI is now responded to this latest allegation that Patel was up to something. Stay here and.
Welcome back everyone to this episode of Amy and TJ. Cash Patel back in the headlines, and back for reasons
he certainly does not want to be this time. It has just come to light the Associated Press writing an article about Cash Battel making a second pit stop in Hawaii on his way back from New Zealand on an official trip, just forgot to mention it or include it in any documents or documentation that oh yeah, he dipped back down into Hawaii, and oh yeah, he went on a VIP snorkeling excursion to Pearl Harbor and whoopsie, just
forgot to mention that little bit. So yes, there is some scrutiny now on why and huh and how much money did that cost?
And why are you snorkeling in.
Hawaii while you're on the job on an official work trip. I don't think they allow workations on the government dime, do they?
You know what, He's the FBI director. He works twenty four to seven. He's supposed to work twenty four.
But if you're being loaned, if your travel is being funded by the taxpayer, you're not on your private vacage.
You're always on the company. You're always on the government dime when you're that guy, So you got to get it in where you can't go.
If he wants to take a private four day weekend on his dimes, then where I'm sure he's allowed to.
And if he wants to go snorkling in Hawaii, what day weekend?
He's the FBI director, He can't get away. He stopped at Hawaii go surfing twice.
He only told the Americans about it once.
Because he knew you'd react this way. Roboch.
Oh wow, it's not what everybody says.
When I can see the reason why I didn't tell you is because I knew you'd get upset. That doesn't ever work, by the way, So the FBI has officially responded to the AP's report, and you know what, it's exactly what you would expect.
Okay, you don't think this is legit at all? You don't find this a believable You don't you don't find you don't like this.
I don't think. I really don't, and I'm giving you, in my honest opinion, I don't think it's I question the justification of this excursion, and I question it because not only were They not transparent about it.
They didn't even explain it.
They just kind of said, deal with it.
It is what it is. You're idiots.
And yes, the word stupid is in the statement.
Yes, right, okay.
Here is the official statement from the FBI Public Affairs Office. The AP is attempting to spin an invitation from the Commanding General of Indo packworn that pac COOM. Sorry, I have terrible izaic command. Yes ah, that makes sense. Commanding General of Indo pac COOM to a military base as a party or a vacation, which is so stupid. The DOW routinely routinely does these engagements with inner agency partners
to include this one. And when he was chief of staff for DoD and Trump one, Patel offered the same event for any partners that came to visit. It's a historical tour to honor heroes who died on the USS Arizona, not a party.
Why is that not believable? These things are done. This is not the first time this has ever been done, or somebody's taking this tour. I think, I yes, I'm with you. We pause because why didn't he tell us about it? This goes in line with a reputation. Maybe he has, and that's bad. But aside from all that, is that not a legit thing.
Look, I do think.
Look, they lose me when they start calling things or ideas or people stupid.
You're so ridiculous.
It doesn't help because look, the AP, yes they did this report, but the concept that this was some sort of a party, like a bachelor party, came from not their assessment, but from an individual who actually is a part of who is a veteran so who is a part of the dive team, who goes down annually, who was connected intrinsically to this memorial site. Now that's his opinion. Yes, and they allowed him to speak and to give his opinion, and they took issue with that. I understand, and I
do get that this could have been official business. It's just questionable why it was necessary. And it sounds like, which is interesting, He's already done this before. Patel offered the same event from many partners that came to visit, or he's just saying he offered it. It wasn't just him, It was a lot of folks.
It was in the capacity he was previously working for someone in the Department of Defense that he never taken the tour himself.
Oh, he offered it to other people.
He arranged it and offered it to other digna teries of VIPs through whatever office he was working with.
Tod got it, so he knew it was a service that was available to other folks, so he thought he would partake in it on his way back.
It's kind of like the Disney VIP tour.
Yeah, and we did partake in that as well when we were offered it.
Because it is an exceptional advantage to be able to skip the line.
I get that, and to not.
Have to actually stand in the line with everyone else and ride the ride as many times as you'd like. Break okay, and I could, I'd be much more willing to and look, it is what it is.
I get it. At the end of the day.
There's no actual repercussion for this, but it doesn't look good from a public relations standpoint period. And I do just think this is another example if you're transparent from the get go, you ex like Look, I don't know, but wouldn't you be aren't you supposed to give an itinerary?
Isn't that part of being a public servant and being in public office especially at that level when you're using that much of tax payer money to fund what you're doing and how you're getting to point A and points be. Isn't it a part of the requirements to be fully transparent about the logistics where you are, what you do while you're there. Yeah, you're putting that in their quotes, by the way, but I'm saying so that is that's the biggest reason to me why it sounds so suspicious.
And look, yes, I was relying when I read the API article on some of the perspective from folks who care about that memorial. But they may be questioning the whole concept of letting anyone, any politician, not just Cash Buttel but any VIP so to speak, just go down there for curiosity, I understand, And that might not be just directed to Cash Betel, but the point being, just just be transparent and there's going to be a lot less scrutiny if you're transparent.
I guess the only thing here Robes is he does not get the benefit of the doubt.
You know what, That's a really good point.
That's just it. If it does happen, if someone else, a different director that didn't have already a thing, a list of things against them. What the AP had even written this story, have even been digging it up. It didn't go in line already with something that folks here and go go cash up to it again. Well they call it. I didn't realize that it's a thing now catching on keystone cash. Yeah, that's not good.
You said this was a cash kerfuffle.
Is that what's in here?
You put cash?
No, that was Tony kerfuffle.
Oh this was cash money. Yeah, but cash kerfuffle. Good work too.
Oh god, folks, We just wanted to give you an update about your FBI director. I always appreciate you. Just been in a little time with us on dj on behalf of my dear Amy Robot. We'll talk to y'all real soon.