Alexis Wilkins Defends National Anthem Performance at Freedom250 Amid Criticism

Kash Patel's girlfriend Alexis Wilkins sings the National Anthem before President Donald Trump speaks at the opening of the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on June 24

FBI director Kash Patel's girlfriend Alexis Wilkins once again came out in her own defense and announced that she did not take any payment for singing the national anthem at the Freedom250 fair. The 16-day event ahead of the country's 250th Independence Day on July 4 was kicked off on Wednesday at the National Mall in Washington. Several artists and performers including Morris Day and The Time, rapper Young MC, Jodie Rocco of Milli Vanilli, country singer Martina McBride, The Commodores and former Poison frontman Bret Michaels denied to take part in the festivity. But after Alexis, the country music singer, performed, there was a wave of criticism and suggestions that she got to perform at the event only because she is Patel's girlfriend. “You can hear a better rendition at any high school ball game,” wrote one X user, while another chimed in: “They didn’t allow the autotune this time?” “The good news is that it’s 11 pm when I’m seeing this and I’ve already taken my hearing aids out for the night,” another wrote. "Does having the FBI director's girlfriend getting paid by the taxpayers to perform violate federal ethics law?" Sara Higdon posted which Alexis chose to respond to -- in order to bring an end to the speculations and the badmouthing. "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," Wilkins wrote about her singing. "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"," the 27-year-old singer wrote about the 'taxpayer' part. "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," Wilkins added as a warning. Alexis Wilkins has her own share of controversies since the beginning of Patel's term as the FBI chief. Their relationship came on the radar because of the age gap and Wilkins was accused of being an Israeli spy. The movement of Patel's jet was also scrutinized to decipher whether Patel was traveling for work or for personal reasons.