FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit on June 2 targeting MSNBC analyst Frank Figliuzzi, accusing him of fabricating a false narrative that Patel frequents nightclubs more than his own office at the FBI’s Hoover Building.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, asserts that Figliuzzi deliberately misled viewers during a May 5 broadcast by stating that Patel had “reportedly been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building.”
According to the complaint, the statement was not based on any reporting or source and was entirely false.
“This was a misstatement,” MSNBC anchor Jonathan Lemire later admitted on air, according to BizPac Review. “We have not verified that claim.”
The correction came weeks after the original broadcast, but the lawsuit argues that the damage to Patel’s professional reputation had already been done.
In the lawsuit, Patel’s legal team asserts that the analyst knowingly invented the claim.
“Defendant did not rely on reporting by any other person,” the complaint reads. “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 lawsuit further contends that Figliuzzi acted out of “clear animus” toward Patel and used the platform to promote himself at the expense of the FBI director’s credibility.
It describes the MSNBC contributor as a “partisan commentator” whose intent was “to sensationalize, and in this case, fabricate a story to self-promotingly advance his own name recognition.”
As support for that claim, the filing references past writings by Figliuzzi in which he labeled Patel “one of the most ill-suited Cabinet nominees—not just now, but of all time.”
He also wrote, “The FBI’s motto is Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. The record suggests that Patel doesn’t possess any of those traits.”
In another statement highlighted in the lawsuit, Figliuzzi claimed, “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 May 5 segment also included additional commentary by Figliuzzi, who said Patel’s alleged lack of presence was “a blessing and a curse.”
He added, “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. But he’s allowing agents to run things, so we don’t know where this is going.”
The lawsuit closes by highlighting Figliuzzi’s prior controversial remarks.
These include a 2019 theory that President Trump ordered flags lowered to half-staff to send a hidden message to white supremacists and a 2021 suggestion that congressional Republicans and former Trump officials should be arrested to prevent future acts of domestic terrorism, as reported by BPR.
Patel’s complaint makes clear that the FBI director is not only disputing the nightclub claim but also seeking to hold the media accountable for what his team says is a baseless personal attack masked as reporting.
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