FBI Director Kash Patel has filed a lawsuit against an MSNBC stooge who claimed that he spends more time at “nightclubs” rather than at the FBI’s headquarters working.
Filed on June 2, the suit by Patel targets MSNBC senior national security and intelligent analyst Frank Figliuzzi for “fabricating a specific lie” about how the FBI Director had “reportedly been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building,” according to the New York Post.
“Defendant knew that this was a lie when he said it,” the suit reads. “Since becoming Director of the FBI, Director Patel has not spent a single minute inside of a nightclub.”
“[T]here was no basis for Defendant’s fabrication, and Defendant’s use of the weasel word, ‘reportedly,’ is itself a fabrication,” the suit continues. “Defendant did not rely on reporting by any other person. 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.”
ICYMI
Kash Patel is suing an MSNBC analyst for stating on air that the FBI Director spends more time in nightclubs than performing his job duties.
Patel filed the defamation lawsuit against the ex-FBI assistant director for counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi and claims he… pic.twitter.com/7FoY3lwrTb
— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) June 11, 2025
The suit further alleges that Figliuzzi fabricated this lie to “discredit” the FBI director out of “clear animus.”
As proof, the suit points to something the MSNBC contributor once wrote: “Patel is one of the most ill-suited Cabinet nominees—not just now, but of all time. The FBI’s motto is Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. The record suggests that Patel doesn’t possess any of those traits.’”
“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,” Figliuzzi ‘s past writings continue. “Patel’s particular problem goes far beyond competence: His record shows no devotion to the Constitution, but blind allegiance to Trump.”
The suit also accuses Figliuzzi of being a “partisan commentator” who 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.”
The lawsuit comes roughly a month after MSNBC was forced to issue a retraction because of Figliuzzi’s May 5 claim.
“This was a misstatement,” MSNBC’s Jonathan Lemire said at the time. “We have not verified that claim.”‘
MSNBC has to walk back statements where they alleged without any proof that Kash Patel spends more time partying than in the office.
Avoiding lawsuits. pic.twitter.com/KPLoDFHlRA
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) May 6, 2025
While making the claim on May 5, Figliuzzi celebrated Patel’s alleged absence from work as “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,” he 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 has a rich history of saying dumb, defamatory things. In 2019, he famously posited the wackadoodle theory that President Trump had chosen to fly the American flags at half-staff after two mass shootings as a white supremacist dog whistle invoking Adolf Hitler:
I Fear Frank!
Frank Figliuzzi, fmr assistant director to FBI Counter Intelligence division claims Trump ordering flags at half mast until Thursday was secret “HEIL HITLER”
Would this be the same FBI that schemed & plotted against Trump, his administration & the American people? pic.twitter.com/4amSE5Vxrf
— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) August 8, 2019
In 2021, he claimed that to prevent a repeat of the Jan. 6 riot, some congressional Republicans and members of the first Trump administration would have to be arrested.
“Arresting low-level operatives is merely a speed bump, not a roadblock,” he said. “In order to really tackle terrorism, this time domestically, you have got to attack and dismantle the command-and-control element of a terrorist group. And unfortunately, and I know this is painful to hear, that may mean people sitting in Congress right now, people in and around the former president.”
WATCH: “Arresting low-level operatives is merely a speed bump not a road block,” @FrankFigliuzzi1 says.
“In order to really tackle terrorism … you’ve got to attack and dismantle the command and control element.”
“That may mean people sitting in Congress right now.” pic.twitter.com/Cn6HlTS9Zq
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) June 8, 2021
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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