The FBI accused MS NOW of incorrectly reporting FBI Director Kash Patel was in Russia on Wednesday when he was actually in Virginia, forcing the network to issue a correction. 

“We do have some breaking news we want to get to here on MS NOW. This is about the FBI Director, Kash Patel. MS NOW has learned that Patel has landed in Russia for a meeting scheduled to take place there,” MS NOW anchor Peter Alexander told viewers, citing “two people familiar with the matter.”

MS NOW then brought on Justice and intelligence reporter Ken Dilanian to analyze the situation. Dilanian fretted that his FBI sources were concerned because they didn’t know why Patel was in Russia and suggested the trip would “raise a lot of eyebrows,” in part due to his potential hosts being the FSB, Russia’s security service.

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The FBI quickly eased those concerns. 

Shortly after MS NOW’s breaking news was announced, the FBI Rapid Response X account mocked the liberal network, noting that Patel was actually in Virginia for a law enforcement appreciation event at Liberty University.

“MS Now’s ‘sources’ are ‘familiar’ with NOTHING,” the FBI Rapid Response account wrote.

FBI Director Kash Patel. (Reuters)

Patel responded, “Facts over clickbait.”

Later in the day, MS NOW corrected its on-air gaffe. 

“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 FBI did not answer our questions when they asked them about it,” Dilanian told MS NOW viewers. 

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“But we do know now that he has not already landed in Russia, as we reported earlier. The timing of any potential trip remains unclear,” he continued. “Again, we regret this error, and we are transparent about when we make errors.”

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel speaks during a news conference at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building on April 21, 2026, in Washington, D.C.  (Anna Moneymaker)

When reached for comment, MS NOW directed Fox News Digital to Dilanian’s on-air remarks. 

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Politico reported in July that Patel had a planned trip to Russia that would include stops in Moscow and St. Petersburg.