Is Kash Patel In Russia? Here's What We Know

The FBI has dismissed reports claiming that its director, Kash Patel, had landed in Russia for a meeting with the country's Federal Security Service (FSB). The agency said Patel was in the United States, attending a law enforcement appreciation event at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The clarification came after MS NOW correspondent Ken Dilanian reported on Wednesday that Patel had landed in Russia for a planned trip. Citing two sources familiar with the matter, the outlet reported that the FBI director was expected to attend a meeting in the country.

However, the report was later corrected after the outlet learned that Patel had not travelled to Russia and remained in the US.

The FBI responded sharply to the initial report on X, writing, “MS Now’s ‘sources’ are ‘familiar’ with NOTHING!”

The agency also contrasted MS NOW's reporting with Patel's actual whereabouts, stating that the FBI director was at Liberty University for a law enforcement appreciation event.

Dilanian returned to the air approximately two hours and 10 minutes after his initial report to acknowledge the error. Appearing on Alicia Menendez's show at 1:54 PM ET, he issued a 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,” Dilanian said.

He added that the outlet had since learned Patel had not landed in Russia and remained in the United States.

Dilanian said the FBI had not answered the outlet's questions when it sought confirmation. He also noted that reports of a planned meeting had raised concerns, including among some Democratic lawmakers who had urged Patel to call off the meeting.

According to Dilanian, published reports had indicated that the meeting was supposed to take place on Wednesday. However, he said the timing of any potential trip remained unclear.

“Again, we regret this error, and we are transparent about when we make errors,” he said.

Earlier, MS NOW host Peter Alexander had interrupted his programme to announce the initial report, saying the outlet had learned that Patel had landed in Russia for a scheduled meeting, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Dilanian subsequently discussed the report on air, saying the outlet did not know what Patel was doing in Russia and that the lack of information was concerning to its FBI sources.

Patel also reacted to the report on X, accusing MS NOW of repeatedly spreading falsehoods about the FBI and law enforcement's achievements in safeguarding Americans.

The correction established that Patel had not landed in Russia on Wednesday. However, the timing of any potential future trip remained unclear, according to Dilanian.

Naman is a copy editor at Times Now, with over three years experience in covering US News, politics, global affairs, sports, and other domains. Apart ... View More