FBI Director Kash Patel is demanding that MS NOW issue multiple apologies after the network falsely reported he had landed in Russia for meetings, when he was actually in Virginia honoring law enforcement at Liberty University. In a post on X Thursday, Patel said the network put him in Russia based on two anonymous sources and called the incident a basic verification failure.
«MS NOW put me in Russia based on two anonymous sources. I was in Virginia, honoring law enforcement at Liberty University. The network had to correct its false report,» Patel wrote. He added that the network was wrong about his location and also wrong about the successes of the FBI and its partnership with state, local, and tribal law enforcement.
The false report aired Wednesday, when MS NOW anchor Peter Alexander told viewers of «breaking news» that Patel had landed in Russia to attend meetings. MS NOW justice correspondent Ken Dilanian cited two FBI sources and said there were concerns within the agency about the alleged visit to the Kremlin. Shortly after the report, the FBI Rapid Response X account mocked the network, noting that Patel was actually in Virginia for a law enforcement appreciation event.
Dilanian later issued a correction on air. «I want to correct reporting from earlier today,» he told viewers. «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 added that the timing of any potential trip remains unclear and said the network regrets the error.
Patel argued the mistake goes beyond a single false story about him. «If a network cannot confirm where I was before putting it on air, how can the public trust its reporting on the work our agents and officers do every day?» he wrote. «This is bigger than a false story about me. The men and women of law enforcement deserve accurate reporting while they protect communities and take violent criminals off our streets. Three apologies are owed: to this FBI, to the law enforcement community, and to the American People.»
MS NOW did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson previously pointed to the network's on-air correction. The incident has drawn attention to the risks of relying on anonymous sources without independent verification, particularly when reporting on national security and law enforcement matters.
There has also been speculation among critics that Dilanian's false report may have been the result of an effort to expose leakers within the FBI. An FBI official would neither confirm nor deny whether leadership had conducted such an operation but said the two leakers involved would «likely» be identified as a result. «We are always hunting leakers,» the FBI official said.
The episode comes amid broader tensions between the FBI under Patel and some media outlets over coverage of the bureau's work. Patel has repeatedly criticized reporting that he says mischaracterizes the agency's operations and its partnerships with local law enforcement. The demand for apologies adds to that friction, with the FBI director framing the error as a test of whether the public can trust reporting on the bureau's daily work.
For MS NOW, the correction marks the second time in recent days that its reporting on Patel has come under scrutiny. The network has not indicated whether it will issue the apologies Patel is seeking. The FBI has not said whether any further action will follow.