Kash Patel defends beer-guzzling party with Olympic hockey team amid backlash: 'Yes, I love America'

FBI Director Kash Patel defended himself against online backlash to footage showing him guzzling beer and celebrating with the U.S. men's hockey team in their locker room Sunday, following their last-minute gold medal victory against Canada at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

In a video that went viral, Patel is seen downing a beer and spraying it on players while enthusiastically banging a table. He jumps up and down as forward Matthew Tkachuk puts the gold medal around his neck and the team sings Toby Keith's "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue."

A source sent me this video of FBI Director Kash Patel partying with the US Men's Olympic Hockey team. pic.twitter.com/egjmdhOAF6

— William Turton (@WilliamTurton) February 22, 2026

Some social media users took issue with the optics of Patel's appearance, especially amid lingering outrage over remaining unreleased portions of the Epstein files and the lack of arrests in the case.

NBC News framed the story as Patel celebrating abroad despite "multiple urgent issues" concerning the FBI at home, such as the Secret Service fatally shooting an armed man Sunday who allegedly entered Mar-a-Lago with a shotgun and a gas canister.

"There was a threat at the president's residence at [Mar-a-Lago], Americans in Mexico are facing major threats by cartel members, Nancy Guthrie is still missing, and our FBI Director thinks he's a frat bro?!," tweeted an outraged Xochitl Hinojosa, spokeswoman for former Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Patel, a hockey enthusiast who plays the sport himself, pushed back against critics in a statement posted to X on Sunday evening, claiming the team invited him to celebrate with them following their historic win as he was in Italy, where he said he also engaged in other official government business.

"For the very concerned media — yes, I love America and was extremely humbled when my friends, the newly minted Gold Medal winners on Team USA, invited me into the locker room to celebrate this historic moment with the boys. Greatest country on earth and greatest sport on earth," he said.

Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino also dismissed the controversy over the video, saying, "The media melting down about him being invited into the locker room and chugging a brewski? Whatever, man. I don't really give a s—."

Other footage showed Patel putting President Donald Trump on speakerphone in the locker room, where he congratulated the team and offered to bring them to his State of the Union address this week on a military plane.

"Unbelievable. You were all unbelievable. That team is pretty good you played," Trump told the excited players as Patel cracked another beer. Trump joked that he would also have to invite the U.S. women's hockey team to avoid impeachment, a comment that also prompted offense from users on social media.

The U.S. men's hockey team defeated Canada 2-1 when 24-year-old forward Jack Hughes scored the overtime game-winning goal, despite losing his front teeth after taking a high stick to the mouth. The U.S. men's hockey team last won the gold medal in 1980, defeating the Soviet Union and Finland during the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

Hughes has since gone viral for publicly expressing his gratitude for being an American, an attitude that contrasted with some other U.S. Olympians who expressed shame for their country amid its political tensions.