Just How Bad Was False Story About Kash Patel Flying to Russia from MS NOW’s Ken Dilanian?

Ken Dilanian is having a tough week. On Mediate’s video channel, I just covered how the intelligence correspondent and Katy Tur delivered invective about the Ilhan Omar FBI raid. Their content was as flawed as the parts of an unassembled TV stand bought at a communist department store.

Ken declared Omar’s falsified naturalization documents were merely “fudged facts” and offered up the weak defense that applicants frequently provide wrong information on their immigration paperwork. Apparently, if everyone does it, then it is not illicit behavior.

The duo also had all sorts of accusations behind the efforts to go after Omar, while at the same time fully admitting they had no information about what was behind the DOJ efforts. (And there was an even bigger fact that they were choosing to ignore.)

But soon after walking into that pole, Dilanian stepped on a rake and then experienced the ultimate professional faceplant. In the morning, he appeared on State of Play with Peter Alexander, and later, more extensively, he reappeared with Alicia Menendez and On the Line.

There, Dilanian came out with his exclusive that FBI Director Kash Patel had just landed in Moscow, according to “people familiar with the matter.” Ken’s career has been based on being fed inside intel from the intel community, specifically those intent on impacting the Trump administration.

It is possible he is now on the receiving end of information fed by those looking to impact his reporting. Soon after delivering his scoops, Dilanian learned that Patel never left the country and was at an event in Virginia at the very time he delivered his “Breaking” news item.

Today, I was proud to welcome @FBIDirectorKash to Lynchburg 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.

— Congressman John McGuire (@RepJohnMcGuire) October 14, 2026

It was on the same show that Dilanian delivered his second report on Patel’s alleged vodka run to Moscow that he had to come back on and correct the record. He did the proper thing by fessing up, but notable is how he worked on sidestepping some culpability, and then even tried to sound magnanimous for coming clean on the matter.

In his correction, Ken mentioned it had been based on two sources telling him this, and then went on to say, “The FBI did not answer our questions when we asked them about it.” He then tried to dress this up as a noble move on his part.

“We regret this error and we are transparent about when we make errors.”

There is no gold star to be handed out here, Ken. You are supposed to correct things when you get them this incorrect. You make the correction, and that is it. No back-slapping takes place as a result.

But the more important aspect of this correction by Dilanian is what was left out. While he came out and delivered the actual facts, what he did not do is walk back all of the negative commentary he provided about this non-trip by Patel.

During his first report on this phantom flight, Dilanian was full of invective towards the FBI director, and all of that supposition of nefarious attachments is left to hang over Patel. Look at the accusatory inferences made, without having the intel about the purpose of this supposed visit:

Well, Alicia, it’s what we don’t know that’s really concerning. The FBI has said nothing about this. We’re told that Patel did land in Russia today, and that this is intended to be a two-day trip to Moscow and Saint Petersburg hosted by the FSB. But again, the FBI is saying nothing about this, officially or otherwise. And as you mentioned, there’s a lot of concern among FBI agents, current and former, about the fact that they know so little about what the purpose of this trip is.

Joining in was MS NOW’s security analyst Michael Feinberg, and he too did not hold back with the “what it all means” pontificating; even though by not taking that flight it all means nothing.

That he is very much a babe in the woods when it comes to the world of national security and intelligence. Despite his very brief forays into it during the first Trump administration. That he would choose this moment to go to Russia – it’s not just a colossal error in judgment in terms of running an intelligence or law enforcement agency writ large. It’s also indicative of the Trump circle’s refusal to take Russia as a threat. Indeed, to almost fetishize its authoritarian services and government.

All of that dark melodrama, regarding a trip that did not occur. And none of this speculative fear-mongering gets walked back.

What makes all of these errors more glaring is that Dilanian is the intelligence community correspondent, and that would ostensibly involve specifics that are even more fully confirmed. When dealing with intel, it should involve ironclad details.

But Dilanian has proven over the years that his beat is polluted with opportunists who have agendas, and the intel he is frequently fed is not the result of layered vetting but agenda-driven desires.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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