By Steve Neavling
FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a defamation lawsuit against MSNBC analyst and former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi, accusing him of fabricating a claim that Patel spent more time in nightclubs than in his office.
The lawsuit, filed June 2 in Texas, stems from Figliuzzi’s May 2 appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, where he said Patel had “reportedly” been seen more at nightclubs than at FBI headquarters, the Daily Beast reports. The suit calls the comment “maliciously false,” alleging Figliuzzi made it up to discredit Patel, whom he has previously criticized.
There was “no basis for [the] Defendant’s fabrication, and Defendant’s use of the weasel word, ‘reportedly,’ is itself a fabrication,” the complaint says, adding that Patel has not spent “a single minute inside of a nightclub” since taking the job.
Days later, Morning Joe co-host Jonathan Lemire walked back the statement, saying it was a “misstatement” and had not been verified. MSNBC declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The FBI’s spokesperson called the claim “bogus” in a post on X, saying Patel is seen at headquarters daily.
Patel’s appointment has drawn scrutiny due to his limited law enforcement background and past promotion of pro-Trump conspiracy theories.
