For a network that claims to champion facts, MSNBC found itself doing damage control Monday morning.
On Friday, during a segment on Morning Joe, former FBI assistant director Frank Figliuzzi floated an eyebrow-raising claim about FBI Director Kash Patel, telling viewers that Patel had “been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building.”
The insinuation—that the head of the FBI is more concerned with nightlife than national security—was left unchallenged by the show’s hosts at the time.
“There are reports that daily briefings to him have been changed from every day to maybe twice weekly. So this is both a blessing and a curse — because if he’s really trying to run things without his experience, without any experience level, things could be bad. If he’s not plugged in, things could be bad,” Figliuzzi continued.
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But come Monday, the network was forced to walk it back.
“We want to circle back to a segment from Friday’s show,” co-host Jonathan Lemire said as he opened the correction. “Frank Figliuzzi was on that morning during this hour discussing the work of administration officials. At the end of that segment, Figliuzzi said that FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly been more visible at nightclubs than at his office at FBI headquarters. This was a misstatement. We have not verified that claim.”
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The correction was brief, but the damage had already been done. Viewers pounced on the smear, accusing MSNBC of fabricating narratives to undermine the Trump administration and its allies.
The original comment aired during a discussion about Patel’s leadership style. Figliuzzi, a frequent MSNBC contributor known for his anti-Trump commentary, claimed there was growing disarray inside the FBI under Patel’s watch, stating, “The one word that keeps coming back at me from inside that building is chaos.”
Still, the decision to suggest Patel was shirking his duties in favor of clubbing struck many as a desperate low. Even the Daily Mail picked up the controversy, writing that Figliuzzi “levied a wild accusation” about the new FBI boss without offering any supporting evidence.
Patel, who assumed the FBI directorship on February 20, as part of President Donald Trump’s second-term leadership shake-up, has long been a target of media attacks. Before this role, he served in various senior roles in the Trump administration and gained notoriety for his work on the House Intelligence Committee during the Russia investigation. His rapid rise—and close ties to Trump—have made him a lightning rod for criticism among D.C. insiders and mainstream media pundits.
The retraction is the latest in a series of unforced errors for MSNBC, which has faced mounting criticism over its coverage of Trump’s second term. As of now, Patel has not publicly responded to the nightclub accusation.
