MSNBC's "Morning Joe" had to retract a false claim by former FBI official Frank Figliuzzi suggesting FBI Director Kash Patel spent more time partying at nightclubs than working. It marks another embarrassing blunder that underscores the network's vulnerability to airing unverified allegations made by Figliuzzi.

Figliuzzi, a top FBI official during Obama’s first term and current NBC News analyst, made a sensational claim on Friday's show, suggesting there is "chaos" under Patel's leadership and that he spends significantly more time at nightclubs than he does working.

"Reportedly, he's (Patel) been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building," he claimed without evidence.

In addition to that statement, Figliuzzi also suggested that Patel's nightlife habit had reduced the number of critical daily briefings he receives.

"And there are reports that daily briefings to him have been changed from every day to maybe twice weekly," he added. 

The claims made on "Morning Joe" were repeated ad nauseam over the weekend, and they were covered by major—albeit not entirely trustworthy—news outlets such as the Daily Mail, the Daily Beast, and MSN.

After marinating in the public discourse for 72 hours, host Jonathan Lemire admitted Monday that they had zero evidence to support Figliuzzi's claims.

MSNBC was forced to make an on-air correction for falsely claiming that FBI Director Kash Patel has “been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building”.

They just have to make things up now. pic.twitter.com/D9LhpDsSps

— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) May 5, 2025

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“And now, let’s circle back to a segment from Friday’s show. Frank Figliuzzi was on that morning during this hour, discussing the work of administration officials," Lemire told viewers. "At the end of that segment, Figliuzzi said that FBI director Kash Patel has reportedly been more visible at nightclubs than at his office at FBI headquarters.”

“This was a misstatement. We have not verified that claim,” he added.

Lemire immediately cut to commercial. That is a truly mealy-mouthed way to say one of their top FBI analysts completely fabricated a story from thin air.

Ben Williamson, the bureau’s Assistant Director for Public Affairs, declared Figliuzzi's story dead and buried, but suggested more lies in the segment had gone unaddressed.

"RIP Kash Patel nightclub theories, May 2, 2025 — May 5, 2025. Cool," a clearly unimpressed Williamson wrote on X. "(Everything else the guy said was BS too, but we’ll start with this, fine)."

RIP Kash Patel nightclub theories, May 2, 2025 — May 5, 2025. Cool. https://t.co/gDpvfy0LZi

— Ben Williamson (@_WilliamsonBen) May 5, 2025

Figliuzzi has consistently been a source of absurd theories with little to no evidence backing them up, making Lemire and MSNBC's retraction ring rather hollow. Stop airing him if his comments keep proving to be fiction.

He once claimed - we kid you not - that Trump's lowering of flags to half-staff to honor victims of the El Paso and Dayton shootings in 2019 was a secret shoutout to White Supremacists and Nazis.

Why? Because he had them lowered on August 8th. Which meant they would be raised again on August 8th. Which, in Figliuzzi's mind, everybody (insert eyeroll emoji) knows 8/8 is code for "Heil Hitler."

And he said this with a straight face.

MSNBC this week on the El Paso tragedy:

Nicolle Wallace: Trump “talking about exterminating Latinos”

Frank Figliuzzi: Trump raising flag on 8/8 signals “Heil Hitler” to Nazis

Malcolm Nance: “Trump giving [Nazis] subliminal orders”

Mika Brzezinski: “This is what [Trump] wants” pic.twitter.com/KfhdTJTMuj

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 8, 2019

It's hard to believe he still has a job after that segment. 

But Figliuzzi actually thrived at MSNBC with some other gems, including: 

• Worrying that the assassination attempt against Trump was going to lead to violence against leftists.
• Suggesting Republican lawmakers should be preemptively arrested to prevent another January 6th protest.
• Likening Trump’s relationship with his supporters to a radical Islamic cleric who plays beheading videos as a means to radicalize jihadists.

Pure lunacy.

Figliuzzi served as assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division between 2011 and 2012. He was appointed by Robert Mueller.

Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie.  

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