MSNBC has been forced to issue a retraction after the liberal show “Morning Joe” pushed a false claim about FBI Director Kash Patel.
The show issued the retraction after airing an unverified and ultimately false claim about Patel by former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi.
However, the correction follows three days of widespread media repetition of Figliuzzi’s false allegation.
Figliuzzi claimed that Patel was spending more time at nightclubs than managing the bureau.
The claim was made during Friday’s broadcast of “Morning Joe.”
The former FBI official alleged that Patel was “more visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building.”
Figliuzzi previously served as assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division from 2011 to 2012.
He now works as an NBC News analyst and has never served under Patel at the FBI.
As is typical at MSNBC, Figliuzzi was not asked to provide any supporting evidence for the fabricated statement.
Figliuzzi also claimed that Patel’s daily intelligence briefings had been reduced from daily to “maybe twice weekly.”
Again, he cited anonymous sources and offered no proof.
Yet, despite the complete lack of evidence, those remarks quickly circulated across digital news platforms and social media.
Outlets such as the Daily Mail, Daily Beast, and MSN repeated the claims without independent verification.
By Monday morning, MSNBC was forced to walk back the segment, but not before the lies had already spread.
Host Jonathan Lemire acknowledged the network had no evidence to support the statements aired.
“And now, let’s circle back to a segment from Friday’s show,” Lemire said.
“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.”
WATCH:
The segment immediately cut to commercial after Lemire’s brief statement.
The FBI’s Assistant Director for Public Affairs, Ben Williamson, issued a response in a post on X, writing:
“RIP Kash Patel nightclub theories, May 2, 2025 — May 5, 2025. Cool.”
RIP Kash Patel nightclub theories, May 2, 2025 — May 5, 2025. Cool. https://t.co/gDpvfy0LZi
— Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) May 5, 2025
The incident adds to a pattern of controversial and often unsubstantiated commentary from Figliuzzi during his time as an NBC analyst.
Over the years, he has attracted criticism for making extreme claims, including suggesting in 2019 that then-President Donald Trump was signaling white supremacists by lowering flags to half-staff on August 8—interpreting the date 8/8 as symbolic of “Heil Hitler.”
MSNBC this week on the El Paso tragedy:
Nicolle Wallace: Trump “talking about exterminating Latinos”
Frank Figliuzzi: Trump raising flag on 8/8 signals “Heil Hitler” to Nazis
Malcolm Nance: “Trump giving [Nazis] subliminal orders”
Mika Brzezinski: “This is what [Trump] wants” pic.twitter.com/KfhdTJTMuj
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 8, 2019
Figliuzzi has also drawn backlash for proposing that certain Republican lawmakers be preemptively arrested to prevent future protests.
In addition, he compared President Donald Trump’s rhetoric to that of radical clerics inciting jihadist violence.
Despite the repeated controversies, Figliuzzi has, unsurprisingly, remained a regular contributor on MSNBC and NBC News programs.
Patel, who was appointed FBI chief by Trump, has not issued a personal statement in response to the claims.
However, he has remained active in overseeing internal reforms and national security priorities.
The FBI has not commented beyond Williamson’s public post.
The retraction from MSNBC comes at a time of increased scrutiny over media accuracy, especially in high-stakes political and national security reporting.
The incident has renewed calls among critics for networks to exercise greater editorial control over guest commentary, particularly when accusations are made without factual support.
