MS NOW Falsely Reports Kash Patel Is in Russia – Gets Brutally Fact-Checked Directly by the FBI
MS NOW reported on Wednesday that FBI Director Kash Patel had just landed in Russia, but the FBI posted video of him in Virginia to disprove the erroneous report.
Justice and intelligence correspondent Ken Dilanian told host Peter Alexander on “State of Play” that two sources familiar with the matter said Patel had arrived in Russia for a planned trip, according to a report from Mediaite.
Dilanian said the bureau was not commenting, that he had asked for a response and not received one, and that the last FBI director to visit Russia was Robert Mueller in 2013.
He also said the planned meeting had raised concerns, and that Democratic lawmakers had urged Patel to call it off.
Ken Dilanian has admitted the “Patel in Russia” scoop isn’t real, but, of course, he had to pat himself on the back while doing so, “I want to correct reporting from earlier today. I reported that two sources had told us that FBI director Kash Patel had landed in Russia for a planned trip that had been reported about recently. We’ve since learned that Patel did not, in fact, land in Russia today and remains in the U.S. …The timing of any potential trip remains unclear. Again, we regret this error and we are transparent about when we make errors. Back to you.”
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) October 14, 2026
The FBI Rapid Response account answered on X with a side-by-side.
On the left was the MS NOW claim. On the right was Patel at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, at a law enforcement appreciation event.
“MS Now’s ‘sources’ are ‘familiar’ with NOTHING!” the post said.
It included footage of Patel at the roundtable.
Left: MS Now reports two sources familiar say Kash Patel just landed in Russia
Right: Here’s where Kash Patel actually is… Liberty U, doing a law enforcement appreciation event
MS Now’s “sources” are “familiar” with NOTHING! https://t.co/4i26hV70VW
— FBI Rapid Response (@FBI_Response) October 14, 2026
Patel replied, “Facts over clickbait.”
A short time later, he posted from his own account that MS NOW had reported he “landed in Russia” for meetings with the FSB.
He called it another lie about the bureau, listed arrest and seizure figures under his tenure at the FBI, and said the outlet owed an apology to the FBI, law enforcement, and the American people.
MS NOW just reported I had “landed in Russia” for meetings with the FSB. The same outlet constantly tells lies about this FBI and law enforcement’s historic achievements in safeguarding the American people.
The results speak for themselves:
• 53,969+ violent crime arrests (up 90%)
• Nearly 20% decrease in the nationwide murder rate
• 31,016+ violent criminals and gang members arrested (up 30%)
• 10 of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives captured (2.5× the prior four years)
• 11,081+ child victims located and identified (up 21%)
• 3,258+ kilos of fentanyl seized (up 8%) — enough to kill 247+ million Americans
This is no accident. It is due to the relentless work of this FBI and all of our state, local, and tribal partners.
They owe an apology to this FBI, the men and women of law enforcement, and to the American people.
-DKP🇺🇸
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 14, 2026
Dilanian issued a correction about two hours later with host Alicia Menendez.
“I want to correct reporting from earlier today,” he said.
“I reported that two sources had told us that FBI director Kash Patel had landed in Russia for a planned trip that had been reported about recently. We’ve since learned that Patel did not, in fact, land in Russia today and remains in the U.S. The FBI did not answer our questions when we asked them about it.”
He said the timing of any potential trip remained unclear, and he added, “We regret this error, and we are transparent about when we make errors.”
FAKE NEWS MSNBC JUST TOLD AMERICA KASH PATEL “LANDED IN RUSSIA” TO MEET THE FSB.
REALITY CHECK: He’s at Liberty University. Right now.
Of course Ken Dilanian went on air and claimed “two people familiar with the matter” told him the FBI Director touched down in Moscow for a two-day trip to Saint Petersburg, hosted by the FSB.
No FBI confirmation. No White House. Just “two people familiar.” And the second it aired, Russian state media and half the left ran with it, treason, collusion, Patel is Putin’s man.
The man is in Lynchburg, Virginia. MSNBC never checked where the FBI Director physically was before they told the world he was in Moscow.
That’s not journalism, it’s FAKE NEWS.
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) October 14, 2026
MS NOW is one of the three outlets, along with CNN and Politico, that filed suit after the Trump administration revoked their White House access last month.
A federal judge blocked that ban Tuesday.
Patel’s fiancée, Alexis Wilkins, has also sued MS NOW, accusing it of using “sham” sources for false claims.
Dilanian is named as a defendant in that suit.
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