FBI Director Kash Patel spent Wednesday at a law enforcement event in Lynchburg, Virginia, even as the network MS NOW was reporting to viewers that he had just landed in Russia.
MS NOW justice and intelligence reporter Ken Dilanian told viewers that two sources had informed him Patel had landed in Russia, describing a trip he said would “raise a lot of eyebrows” given reports his hosts could include Russia’s FSB security service.
The claim fell apart almost immediately. FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson said Patel was, in fact, at a law enforcement appreciation event in Lynchburg at the very moment the report aired.
I have had many strange experiences in life, but in tier 1 had to be seeing a clip of MS Now reporting breaking news that Kash Patel has “just landed in Russia” – right as I’m receiving pics of Kash Patel doing a law enforcement appreciation event today in Lynchburg, Virginia
The Lynchburg event was hosted by Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., who represents Virginia’s 5th District. McGuire described the gathering in a statement posted online, saying he welcomed Patel “for a roundtable discussion I hosted with local law enforcement and students from Liberty University School of Law.”
Director Patel and I are committed to protecting victims, not criminals. We want the next generation to understand that our laws are meant to be enforced. We would not have a country without our men and women in uniform, and we are committed to ensuring they have the resources they need to protect and serve.
Local news outlets covered the event, and Patel was photographed with McGuire in Lynchburg.
The Correction
After the Lynchburg photos surfaced, Dilanian issued an on-air correction.
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. 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. Again, we regret this error, and we are transparent about when we make errors.
Dilanian’s correction referred to a “planned trip that had been reported about recently,” but no official confirmation from Patel or the FBI has established that any such trip was in fact planned. The reference traces back to an earlier media report citing anonymous sources described only as a U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter.
The episode raises fresh questions about the reliability of anonymous sourcing in reporting on federal law enforcement officials, and whether the sources who told Dilanian that Patel had landed in Russia had any real connection to the bureau at all.
