Alexis Wilkins, a country singer and the longtime girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, defended her invitation to sing the national anthem at Wednesday’s Freedom 250 event on the National Mall in Washington.

The event, which President Donald Trump said would be a campaign-style rally, kicked off the Great American State Fair, a 16-day celebration ahead of the country’s 250th Independence Day.

Wilkins, a former press secretary for Republican Rep. Abraham Hamadeh of Arizona, called it a “great honor” to perform at the event, which has seen a slew of performers drop out in recent weeks. In a social media post on Tuesday, she hit back at critics who suggested her booking at the rally could violate federal ethics laws.

“I have been a country music artist for years now. I have had a successful career in both music and commentary/strategy,” Wilkins wrote. “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 added that she is “not accepting payment for this great honor,” noting that the semiquincentennial celebration is funded by Freedom 250, a Trump-controlled nonprofit housed under the National Parks Foundation that collects private donations.

“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 said in the post.

Wilkins averages about 5,863 monthly listeners on Spotify. Her single “Love Me” has amassed more than 500,000 streams on the platform.

Patel and Wilkins’ relationship has been under scrutiny. In December, MS NOW reported that the FBI director ordered her security detail to escort her allegedly inebriated friend home on more than one occasion. Wilkins has since filed a defamation lawsuit against MS NOW over that reporting, which the network stands behind.

This story has been updated to include her performance.

The post Kash Patel’s girlfriend performs at Freedom 250 concert after wave of artists drop out appeared first on MS NOW.

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