MS NOW falsely reports Patel landed in Russia, then corrects the error

MS NOW's scoop that FBI Director Kash Patel had landed in Russia was false, and the network had to say so on air¹. Mollie Hemingway answered the next day, October 15, by posting on X that Ken Dilanian helped fabricate the Russia collusion hoax and continues to report "other laughably fake news²."

Dilanian said the network regretted the error. Patel posted on X that MS NOW owed an apology to the FBI, law enforcement and the American public¹. A network that puts the nation's top law-enforcement officer in Russia without checking should expect the reaction it got.

On October 14, MS NOW anchor Peter Alexander told viewers that Patel had landed in Russia for a scheduled meeting³. Dilanian reported it in the 11 a.m. ET hour, citing two unnamed sources. The FBI's Rapid Response account pushed back with video of Patel at Liberty University in Virginia. Liberty University reported that Patel attended a law-enforcement student roundtable on campus that Wednesday⁴. Dilanian corrected the report in the 1 p.m. ET hour, during Alicia Menendez's show, and said the FBI had not answered the network's questions¹.

The report rested on two unnamed sources, Deadline reported¹.

Dilanian said the timing of any potential Russia trip remains unclear³.

Sources

1. MS NOW Corrects Report On FBI Director Kash Patel Landing In Russia
2. @MZHemingway on X, 2026-10-15: Wow, I am shocked that Ken Dilantin, the guy who helped fabricate the Russia collusion hoax ,would also continue to report other laughably fake news., 2026-10-15
3. FBI says MS NOW falsely reported Kash Patel was in Russia, not Virginia | Fox News
4. FBI Director Kash Patel engages with Liberty University students during law enforcement roundtable | Liberty News