Latest news with #Figliuzzi
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
FBI head Patel suing MSNBC columnist over nightclub hopping claims
FBI Director Kash Patel is suing an MSNBC analyst over a claim suggesting Patel was spending more time in nightclubs than the FBI's headquarters. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Texas, Patel's attorneys argued Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI official and frequent commentator on the channel, 'crossed the legal line by fabricating a specific lie about Director Patel.' Figliuzzi said during a May 2 broadcast of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' that Patel was spending more time at nightclubs in Las Vegas than on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building, according to the suit. 'Defendant knew that this was a lie when he said it,' Patel's defamation suit reads. The Daily Beast, which first reported Patel's suit, noted MSNBC anchor Jonathan Lemire, during the next 'Morning Joe' broadcast, told viewers Figliuzzi had made a 'misstatement' about Patel and noted the network had not verified the claim. 'Since becoming Director of the FBI, Director Patel has not spent a single minute inside of a nightclub,' Patel's suit reads, arguing Figliuzzi 'fabricated this story to discredit Director Patel' because of his 'clear animus' toward him. Figliuzzi is an MSNBC columnist, senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. An outspoken critic of President Trump and his allies in the intelligence community, he spent more than two decades at the FBI before joining the network. MSNBC declined to comment on Patel's suit. Updated: 11:01 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
FBI head Patel suing MSNBC columnist over nightclub hopping claims
FBI Director Kash Patel is suing an MSNBC analyst over a claim suggesting Patel was spending more time in nightclubs than the FBI's headquarters. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Texas, Patel's attorneys argued Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI official and frequent commentator on the channel, 'crossed the legal line by fabricating a specific lie about Director Patel.' Figliuzzi said during a May 2 broadcast of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' that Patel was spending more time at nightclubs in Las Vegas than on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building, according to the suit. 'Defendant knew that this was a lie when he said it,' Patel's defamation suit reads. The Daily Beast, which first reported Patel's suit, noted MSNBC anchor Jonathan Lemire, during the next 'Morning Joe' broadcast, told viewers Figliuzzi had made a 'misstatement' about Patel and noted the network had not verified the claim. 'Since becoming Director of the FBI, Director Patel has not spent a single minute inside of a nightclub,' Patel's suit reads, arguing Figliuzzi 'fabricated this story to discredit Director Patel' because of his 'clear animus' toward him. Figliuzzi is an MSNBC columnist, senior national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. An outspoken critic of President Trump and his allies in the intelligence community, he spent more than two decades at the FBI before joining the network.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
FBI Boss Kash Patel Is Suing to Prove He's Not Nightclub Hopping
Kash Patel has sued MSNBC columnist Frank Figliuzzi over his unverified claim last month that the FBI director had been at 'nightclubs' more than he'd been in his office. Patel filed a lawsuit on June 2 in Texas against Figliuzzi, a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI who now serves as a senior national security and intelligence analyst for MSNBC and NBC News. The complaint accuses Figliuzzi of 'fabricating a specific lie' about Patel over his nightclub allegation, and claimed there was 'no basis for [the] Defendant's fabrication, and Defendant's use of the weasel word, 'reportedly,' is itself a fabrication,' according to the New York Post. The suit called Figliuzzi's claim a 'maliciously false and defamatory statement' and accused the columnist of making up the story to 'discredit Director Patel because of Defendant's clear animus toward Director Patel.' It noted that the commentator has previously been critical of the FBI head's qualifications. Patel has not spent 'a single minute inside of a nightclub' since becoming FBI director, the lawsuit states. The FBI and an attorney for Patel did not immediately return The Daily Beast's request for comment. Figliuzzi has been approached for comment via his website. Figliuzzi, a 25-year veteran of the FBI, made the remark during a May 2 broadcast of Morning Joe. He claimed Donald Trump's pick to lead the bureau was not often present at its headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. 'Reportedly, he's been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building,' Figliuzzi said to Morning Joe co-host Jonathan Lemire. 'And there are reports that daily briefings to him have been changed from every day to maybe twice weekly.' 'The one word that keeps coming back at me from inside that building is 'chaos,'' he added. 'People don't know what's happening from day to day.' On the next Morning Joe broadcast the following Monday, Lemire told viewers Figliuzzi had made a 'misstatement.' '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,' Lemire said. MSNBC declined to comment on the lawsuit. FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson wrote on X at the time that Figliuzzi's claims were 'bogus,' writing, 'I see him here at HQ every day.' Patel's appointment was and has been the subject of significant backlash, given his limited senior law enforcement experience and concerns over his past promotion of pro-Trump conspiracy theories.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
FBI Director Kash Patel sues MSNBC columnist Frank Figliuzzi for ‘fabricating a specific lie' with outlandish nightclub claim
FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a lawsuit in Texas against an MSNBC columnist who falsely claimed the official spent more time in 'nightclubs' than inside the Bureau's headquarters in Washington, DC. Patel is suing Frank Figliuzzi for 'fabricating a specific lie' about him, according to court documents, namely that 'reportedly (Patel has) been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building.' Defendant knew that this was a lie when he said it,' Patel's attorneys alleged. '…Since becoming Director of the FBI, Director Patel has not spent a single minute inside of a nightclub.' 4 Patel is suing Frank Figliuzzi for 'fabricating a specific lie' about him, in which the commentator said that the official spent more time in 'nightclubs' than inside the FBI's headquarters. MSNBC The suit also claimed 'there was no basis for Defendant's fabrication, and Defendant's use of the weasel word, 'reportedly,' is itself a fabrication.' 'Defendant did not rely on reporting by any other person,' attorneys said in the filing. 'Defendant made up the story out of whole cloth, and by using the word 'reportedly,' attempts to distance himself from what is a maliciously false and defamatory statement.' The attorneys allege Figliuzzi's claim constituted defamation, noting that Figliuzzi previously wrote, 'Patel is one of the most ill-suited Cabinet nominees—not just now, but of all time.' 'Defendant fabricated this story to discredit Director Patel because of Defendant's clear animus toward Director Patel,' his attorneys said. 4 FBI Director Kash Patel testifies before Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for the FBI on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 8, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 'Defendant previously wrote, 'Patel is one of the most ill-suited Cabinet nominees—not just now, but of all time.' And, 'The FBI's motto is Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. The record suggests that Patel doesn't possess any of those traits.'' 'Defendant also wrote, 'It isn't just that Patel is wholly unqualified to lead the pre-eminent law enforcement and intelligence agency in the nation and perhaps the world … Patel's particular problem goes far beyond competence: His record shows no devotion to the Constitution, but blind allegiance to Trump.' The FBI director's suit also alleged that 'as a partisan commentator, (Figliuzzi) was motivated to sensationalize, and in this case, fabricate a story to self-promotingly advance his own name recognition, at the expense of Director Patel.' 4 The attorneys allege Figliuzzi's claim constituted defamation. MSNBC Representatives for Patel declined to comment. The lawsuit came just a month after MSNBC was forced to retract Figliuzzi's claim on May 5. 'This was a misstatement,' MSNBC anchor Jonathan Lemire said at the time. 'We have not verified that claim.' 4 Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel greets guests ahead of the Take It Down Act bill signing in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, May 19, 2025. Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock The NBC and MSNBC national security analyst had alleged that Patel's absence from the FBI headquarters was '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,' Figliuzzi said. 'If he's not plugged in, things could be bad. But he's allowing agents to run things, so we don't know where this is going.' Figliuzzi didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sky News AU
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
MSNBC forced to walk-back contributor's wild claim about Kash Patel
Left-winged network MSNBC has been forced to walk back wild comments made by a contributor about FBI Director Kash Patel. On Monday, MSNBC anchor and 'Morning Joe' co-host Jonathan Lemire walked back claims by a network contributor that Patel spends more time at nightclubs than he does at FBI headquarters. During a segment last Friday, NBC News and MSNBC's senior national security analyst Frank Figliuzzi spoke about the FBI under Patel's leadership. According to Figliuzzi, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is dissolving into chaos with Patel as its director. 'Well, reportedly, he's been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building,' Figliuzzi said. Following Figliuzzi's allegations, Lemire was forced to make an on-air correction and backtrack on the allegations against Patel. 'This was a misstatement. We have not verified that claim,' Lemire said.
