FBI Director Kash Patel demands apology after MS NOW misreports his location

FBI Director Kash Patel demanded an apology from MS NOW on Oct. 15, 2026 after the network incorrectly reported that he had landed in Russia, when he was actually in Virginia attending a law‑enforcement appreciation event at Liberty University.

MS NOW’s breaking‑news segment, anchored by Peter Alexander, claimed Patel had traveled to Russia based on two anonymous sources. The network’s justice correspondent, Ken Dilanian, later issued an on‑air correction, acknowledging the mistake and expressing regret for the error.

“MS NOW put me in Russia based on two anonymous sources. I was in Virginia, honoring law enforcement at Liberty University. This was a basic verification failure,” Patel wrote on X, adding that three apologies were owed: “to this FBI, to the law enforcement community, and to the American people.”

Patel’s statement emphasized that inaccurate reporting undermines confidence in media coverage of the FBI’s partnership with state, local, and tribal law‑enforcement agencies. He argued that if a network cannot confirm a public official’s whereabouts before broadcasting, it jeopardizes trust in the work of agents and officers nationwide.

The FBI’s Rapid Response account on X posted a side‑by‑side comparison showing Patel at Liberty University, labeling MS NOW’s sources as “familiar with nothing.” Assistant Director Ben Williamson also highlighted the oddity of seeing a report of Patel in Russia while receiving photos of him in Lynchburg, Virginia.

MS NOW issued a correction but Patel insisted that a simple correction was insufficient, calling for a formal apology to restore credibility. The network has not yet responded to requests for comment, leaving the issue of media accountability unresolved as the public watches the fallout.