The corporate medias long-running obsession with tying President Donald Trump and his allies to Russia has produced yet another spectacular embarrassment, this time involving a blatantly false report about FBI Director Kash Patels supposed trip to Moscow.
According to RedState, the latest misfire came from MSNOW, the networks rebranded streaming arm that has become synonymous with breathless, anonymously sourced bombshells that reliably collapse under scrutiny. For years, allegations involving Donald Trump and Russia have generated sensational headlines, anonymous-source reporting, and fierce political controversy, almost always skewed to damage the President and protect the Democratic establishment.
A perpetually maudlin Rachel Maddow appeared nightly on MSNBC, spinning fantastic yarns about Donald Trump's insidious plot to collaborate with the Russians in order to rig elections against the irreproachable Hillary Clinton and to steal Americans' apple pies. The biased network's breathless accounts of secret bank transactions, Wikileaks memos, and dastardly meetings in the shadows of Trump Tower had the MSNBC faithful unironically checking under their beds for Russians.
Now, another MSNOW report is putting egg on their faces. And since they have already been hit with the entire chicken farm, what's another one hurled at their shameless mugs?
On Wednesday, MSNOW breathlessly reported that FBI Director Kash Patel had landed in Russia for a meeting with Russian officials, citing two people familiar with the matter. Anchor Peter Alexander told viewers: "This is about the FBI Director Kash Patel. MSNOW has learned that Patel has landed in Russia for a meeting scheduled to take place there. That's according to two people familiar with the matter."
Justice and intelligence reporter Ken Dilanian joined the segment to discuss the purported trip, which was described as involving meetings in Moscow and St. Petersburg hosted by Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB. The implication was clear: yet another Trump-world figure supposedly entangled in shadowy dealings with the Kremlin, a narrative the left-wing network has pushed relentlessly since 2016.
There is just one problem, dummies. Patel was in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Patel was appearing publicly at Liberty University in Lynchburg for a law enforcement appreciation event alongside Rep. John McGuire (R-VA). Local ABC affiliate WSET covered the Lynchburg event, providing video evidence of the FBI director's whereabouts.
The FBI's official Rapid Response account wasted little time pointing out the discrepancy. "Left: MS Now reports two sources familiar say Kash Patel just landed in Russia
Right: Here's where Kash Patel actually is Liberty U, doing a law enforcement appreciation event
MS Now's 'sources' are 'familiar' with NOTHING!"
Patel himself responded with a succinct assessment: "Facts over clickbait." Reuters subsequently reported the FBI's denial, noting that video from the Virginia event independently corroborated Patel's location.
The rebranded network, simply MSNBC in drag, now has to explain dubious reporting that placed Kash Patel in Russia. Russia Hoaxes are a drug, and MSNOW is addicted. Time to seek help.
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