New Zealand Officials Now Destroy Kash Patel's Gifts • Franknez.com

In a mishap that’s drawing eye-rolls from diplomats and former agents alike, FBI Director Kash Patel handed out a pair of 3D-printed pistols as ceremonial gifts during an official visit to New Zealand, only for local authorities to confiscate and order their destruction as illegal firearms.

The late-July incident, tied to the ribbon-cutting for the FBI’s first standalone office in the country, highlights the challenges of Patel’s high-profile role—and his growing reputation for diplomatic foot faults.

Patel, a staunch Trump ally and former podcaster thrust into the FBI’s top job earlier this year, was in Wellington to celebrate the opening of the bureau’s new outpost at the U.S. Embassy.

The office, which had operated under the Canberra legat since 2017, was meant to boost counterterrorism and cyber ties.

But the goodwill gesture—pairing the pistols with “challenge coin” display stands for Police Commissioner Andrew Coster and directors of New Zealand’s spy agencies—quickly soured under the island nation’s ironclad gun laws.

Details of the Decision

New Zealand, fresh off tightening restrictions after the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings, treats even inoperable firearms as illegal if they could be made functional.

The 3D-printed replicas fit that bill, lacking permits for restricted pistols or printable guns.

Coster, confirming the seizure, ordered the items “retained and destroyed” to comply.

The FBI, tight-lipped on whether Patel sought clearance before packing the gifts, declined comment, leaving questions about the vetting process hanging.

The blunder capped a trip already laced with awkward notes.

Patel’s pitch for the new office to counter China’s Pacific influence got a polite sidestep from Kiwi officials, who steered talk toward shared fights against child exploitation and drug smuggling.

Beijing fired back with a formal complaint over the remarks, calling them inflammatory.

Back home, the episode has fueled Patel’s “Keystone Kash” moniker—a jab at early stumbles like the FBI’s fumbled probe into the September 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, which drew bipartisan heat and calls for accountability.

Even Epstein files questions have left him prickly, with critics questioning his grasp on the bureau’s global playbook.

Statements of the Incident

Ex-FBI agent James Gagliano, no fan of Patel’s appointment, chalked it up to cultural oversight rather than malice.

“This was an overreaction by New Zealand authorities,” he told The Daily Beast.

“The gesture was genuine—a symbolic nod to law enforcement camaraderie.

But optics matter, and this one’s a reminder that what flies in D.C. doesn’t always land abroad.”

For Patel, whose confirmation hearings brimmed with promises of transparency and toughness, the Wellington whoops feels like a speed bump on a rocky road.

As the FBI navigates Trump’s second-term priorities—from Epstein transparency battles to domestic probes—the director’s team insists it’s water under the bridge.

But in a world of razor-sharp protocols, one wrong gift could echo louder than intended.

Also Read: GOP Members Now Believe Trump Is Named First In The Epstein Files

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