MSNBC Issues Correction Following Claim During Segment

By
Mark Stevens
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MSNBC is once again under fire for running with an unverified and ultimately debunked claim—this time involving a high-profile smear against current FBI Director Kash Patel. The controversy centers around a now-retracted statement made by former FBI official and current NBC News analyst Frank Figliuzzi, who falsely claimed that Patel was spending more time in D.C. nightclubs than at his post atop the Hoover Building.

The wild accusation aired on Morning Joe last Friday and quickly caught fire online and in digital tabloids like the Daily Mail and Daily Beast. Figliuzzi went so far as to suggest Patel’s alleged nightlife habits were interfering with national security briefings, asserting that Patel had gone from receiving daily briefings to just twice a week. Yet, no sources were cited. No evidence was presented. And in the end—none existed.

By Monday morning, after the story had marinated in public discourse for a full 72 hours, Morning Joe host Jonathan Lemire issued a half-hearted walk-back:

“This was a misstatement. We have not verified that claim.”
He then promptly cut to commercial, offering no apology or explanation as to how the claim made it to air in the first place.

This isn’t the first time Figliuzzi has peddled fringe theories with little factual grounding on-air. His resume might include a stint as assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division under Robert Mueller, but his tenure as a media analyst has been riddled with sensationalist and often embarrassing predictions.

Most infamously, Figliuzzi once claimed that Trump’s decision to lower flags to half-staff in 2019—following the El Paso and Dayton shootings—was a secret Nazi dog whistle, because the flags were set to be raised again on August 8 (8/8), which he argued stood for “Heil Hitler.” Yes, really.

He has also:

  • Suggested that Republican lawmakers be preemptively arrested to prevent another January 6th protest.

  • Claimed the assassination attempt on Trump would spark retaliatory violence against the left.

  • Compared Trump to a jihadist cleric, claiming he used radicalization tactics on his supporters akin to those who show beheading videos to potential terrorists.

Each claim has eroded Figliuzzi’s credibility, but his platform at MSNBC remains intact. That alone is drawing criticism—not just from conservatives, but from media ethicists and even government officials.

Ben Williamson, Assistant Director for Public Affairs at the FBI, slammed the segment and Figliuzzi’s credibility altogether. Posting on X, he quipped:

“RIP Kash Patel nightclub theories, May 2, 2025 — May 5, 2025. Cool.”
He added: “Everything else the guy said was BS too, but we’ll start with this, fine.”

The damage, however, had already been done. In today’s hyper-partisan news ecosystem, a sensational claim can go viral before it’s even questioned, and the eventual correction—however mealy-mouthed—rarely travels half as far.

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