Alexis Wilkins, the country singer girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, had a testy response to a question asked on social media after she announced she was performing during the opening night of the Great American State Fair on Wednesday.
Wilkins announced the gig on X and said, “What a great honor to be a part of the 250th birthday of this great nation.”
More well-known entertainers dropped out of the event in the past few weeks, and many people on social media weren’t as excited as she was about the performance.
Some people joked Wilkins got the gig because Lara Trump, the president’s singing daughter-in-law, wasn’t available.
And, of course, many people assumed that Wilkins’ relationship with Patel helped get her the spot.
One person did at least feign excitement.
But Wilkins got testy after X user @sarahigdon asked rhetorically ― and snarkily ― “Does having the FBI director’s girlfriend getting paid by the taxpayers to perform violate federal ethics laws?”
Wilkins offered a lengthy response where she insisted that she got the gig strictly on her own merits:
Let’s just get a few things straight, because this is long overdue.
- I have been a country music artist for years now. I have had a successful career in both music and commentary/strategy. People don’t get to negate that for clicks or headlines. I was invited to sing this anthem on my own accord, as I have been many other places throughout my career
- I am not accepting payment for this great honor.
- The Freedom250 entire celebration is on a fundraising arm; neither UFC nor any National Mall celebrations are “taxpayer funded” (you would think, as a journalist, this would be something she would know or at least look into)
I’m no longer accepting false narratives and total sham accusations that diminish my hard work and earned accomplishments, so please expect this kind of response to continue.
But Wilkins’ fiery response may not have been the mic-drop moment she may have imagined while writing it after people brought evidence that suggested her definition of success might differ from others.
Wilkins, 27, has been dating Patel, 46, for around three years after being introduced by a mutual friend in Nashville, Tennessee.
The relationship has gotten more public attention ― and outcry — since Patel became FBI director, especially in November when it was revealed that he had ordered a SWAT security detail for her when she traveled.
In December, Patel came under fire after reports that he ordered Wilkins’ security officers to drive one of her drunk friends home after a night of partying.