MS NOW Corrects Report That FBI Director Kash Patel Had Landed in Russia
MS NOW issued an on-air correction after reporting FBI Director Kash Patel had landed in Russia, when he was actually in Virginia for a law enforcement appreciation event at Liberty University. The FBI mocked the network's sourcing, and Patel responded, «Facts over clickbait.»
MS NOW was forced to correct its own breaking news Wednesday after reporting that FBI Director Kash Patel had landed in Russia — a claim the bureau swiftly rejected, noting that Patel was in Virginia at the time.
Anchor Peter Alexander told viewers that MS NOW had «learned that Patel has landed in Russia for a meeting scheduled to take place there,» attributing the report to «two people familiar with the matter.» The network then brought on justice and intelligence reporter Ken Dilanian to analyze the supposed trip.
Dilanian said his FBI sources were concerned because they did not know why Patel would be in Russia, and suggested the visit would «raise a lot of eyebrows,» partly because his potential hosts would be the FSB, Russia's security service.
The FBI moved quickly to knock down the story. Its Rapid Response account on X mocked the network, writing that «MS Now's ‘sources' are ‘familiar' with NOTHING,» and clarifying that Patel was actually in Virginia for a law enforcement appreciation event at Liberty University.
Patel himself responded with a brief message: «Facts over clickbait.»
Later in the day, MS NOW corrected the on-air gaffe. Dilanian told viewers: «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.»
He added that the FBI had not answered the network's questions when they were asked about it, and that «the timing of any potential trip remains unclear.» Dilanian closed by saying, «Again, we regret this error, and we are transparent about when we make errors.»
When reached for comment, MS NOW directed Fox News Digital to Dilanian's on-air remarks.
The correction came against the backdrop of prior reporting on Patel's travel plans. Politico reported in July that Patel had a planned trip to Russia that would include stops in Moscow and St. Petersburg. That earlier reporting appears to have fed into the mistaken breaking news, even though the trip had not taken place and its timing remained uncertain.
The episode highlights the pressure on cable news networks to move fast on national security stories, where sourcing can be thin and the stakes for accuracy are high. In this case, the error was compounded by the fact that it was delivered as breaking news and then analyzed on air before the bureau publicly contradicted it.
The FBI's rapid pushback, delivered through its Rapid Response social media account, was notable for its blunt tone. The bureau rarely engages in such direct media criticism, but the post made clear that the claim about Patel's location was wrong within minutes of the network's report.
For MS NOW, the correction followed a familiar pattern in which a network acknowledges an error on air and expresses regret. Dilanian's statement to viewers served as both a retraction and an explanation, though it left open the question of when, or whether, Patel might travel to Russia.
The incident also put a spotlight on the sourcing standards behind fast-moving television reporting. MS NOW attributed its initial claim to two people familiar with the matter, but the FBI said those sources were not familiar with anything, and the network later confirmed that Patel had remained in the United States.
Patel's response, «Facts over clickbait,» echoed a broader criticism of media outlets that prioritize speed over verification. The phrase was short and pointed, and it quickly became the most quoted line from the exchange.
As of Wednesday evening, there was no indication of any immediate travel by Patel to Russia, and the timing of any potential trip remained unclear. The FBI did not answer MS NOW's questions about the matter, according to the network's own correction.
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