Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, pressed FBI Director Kash Patel earlier this year to provide detailed records about his use of government aircraft, executive vehicles and other taxpayer-funded resources, according to correspondence made public this week as bipartisan scrutiny of the bureau chief intensified.

The previously undisclosed May letter surfaced after Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released their own letter to Patel highlighting Grassley's inquiry and seeking many of the same answers.

Patel has faced months of questions over his use of FBI resources, including allegations involving government aircraft, security arrangements connected to his girlfriend, country music singer Alexis Wilkins, and a February trip to the Winter Olympics in Milan, where he celebrated with the U.S. men's hockey team following its gold medal victory.

In his May letter, Grassley requested that Patel "provide a list of each flight you took on an FBI aircraft, including the departure and destination," along with the cost of every trip.

The Iowa Republican also sought records showing whether Patel reimbursed the FBI for any personal travel and asked for an explanation of the bureau's decision to acquire BMW vehicles instead of Chevrolet Suburbans for executive transportation, including a detailed cost comparison supporting the purchase.

Grassley wrote, "For decades, regardless of which political party is in the White House, I have worked to ensure that taxpayer dollars are protected from waste, fraud, and abuse."

Raskin and Durbin said the Republican chairman's questions mirrored concerns Democrats have been raising about Patel's management of bureau resources.

"This abuse obviously comes at the expense of the American taxpayer and ongoing Bureau operations as it ties up Bureau aircraft, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, and agents in ways so outrageous that even congressional Republicans can no longer ignore them," the lawmakers wrote.

They added, "The American people deserve an FBI Director focused on keeping us all safe rather than jet-setting to check off personal bucket list items."

"Congress requires a transparent accounting of how you are using Americans' hard-earned tax dollars," they wrote.

The FBI rejected the allegations, saying they are "completely false."

The bureau said Patel's travel is "fully consistent with Executive Branch requirements and policies," that he has reimbursed "ALL personal travel and expenses, strictly following the Office of Management and Budget rules," and that the decision to acquire previously owned armored BMW vehicles from the State Department saved taxpayers millions of dollars.

The exchange marks an unusual instance of Grassley, who has frequently defended Patel and worked closely with him on oversight matters, demanding detailed accounting from the FBI director over spending decisions. Grassley has long built his reputation in Congress around investigating waste, fraud and abuse regardless of which party controls the executive branch.

Neither Grassley's office nor the FBI indicated whether Patel has fully responded to the chairman's requests. The release of the correspondence comes as congressional Democrats continue pressing for additional records related to Patel's use of FBI assets and agency spending, signaling that oversight of the bureau's leadership is likely to remain a focus on Capitol Hill.