FBI Director Kash Patel on Sunday lashed out at critics of his 26-year-old girlfriend, claiming the attacks were “cowardly and jeopardizes our safety.”

Both Patel and his girlfriend, country music singer-songwriter Alexis Wilkins, came under fire Saturday after reports revealed that Patel had used his FBI jet to attend a music event of hers. Wilkins has also faced scrutiny from the MAGA base, some of whom have accused her, without evidence, of being a secret Israeli spy.

The criticism didn’t sit well with Patel, apparently, who on social media launched into a tirade against those attacking Wilkens.

“Criticize me all you want. But going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace,” Patel wrote in a social media post on X.

“The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis – a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life – are beyond pathetic. She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes. I’m so blessed she’s in my life. Attacking her isn’t just wrong – it’s cowardly and jeopardizes our safety.”

Patel went on to criticize not just Wilkens’ critics, but those who hadn’t come to her defense, calling them “supposed allies” whose “silence is louder than the clickbait haters.”

Critics quickly pounced on Patel’s statement, warning people not to criticize or attack his girlfriend, including MAGA’s own Candace Owens, the far-right conservative influencer who’s floated conspiracy theories such as prominent tech billionaires not being “human,” and instead “hybrids.”

“I don’t care about Alexis one way or another, but I want to point out that the head of the FBI is tweeting out in defense of his girlfriend,” Owens wrote in a

social media post

on X Sunday. “Not a wife – but a girlfriend. We are just not a serious nation whatsoever.”