A federal court judge dismissed FBI Director Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against Frank Figliuzzi, a former FBI official. The lawsuit claimed Figliuzzi defamed Patel for his comment on the MS NOW show “Morning Joe,” saying the FBI director “reportedly” had “been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building.” “Figliuzzi’s statement is rhetorical hyperbole that cannot constitute defamation,” U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr. wrote, according to CNBC. DISMISSED A federal judge has DISMISSED a defamation lawsuit filed by FBI Director Kash Patel against former FBI official and MSNBC commentator Frank Figliuzzi. The suit centered on Figliuzzi’s May 2025 on-air comment during an MSNBC Morning Joe segment, where he claimed… pic.twitter.com/Ew6YsjnxCO — Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) April 22, 2026 CNBC shared further: While ruling on the key question of defamation in Figliuzzi’s favor, the judge denied his request that he be awarded court costs and attorneys’ fees under Texas’ anti-SLAPP law. SLAPP is an acronym for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation. Figliuzzi’s lawyer, Marc Fuller, in a statement to CNBC, said, “This is a victory for press freedom and the First Amendment.” “Director Patel’s claim against Frank was baseless, and we are pleased that the court dismissed it,” Fuller said. Patel’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Figliuzzi, former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, made his crack about Patel on May 2, 2025, on the MS NOW show “Morning Joe.” “Yeah, well, reportedly, he’s been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover building,” said Figliuzzi. Patel sued him in June, accusing Figliuzzi of “fabricating a specific lie” about the FBI because of Figliuzzi’s “clear animus” toward him. The ruling is unrelated to Patel’s $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic magazine. Patel sued the outlet for defamation over a story claiming that he drinks alcohol excessively and has unexplained absences. BREAKING: FBI Director Kash Patel sues The Atlantic for $250 million over its story on his alleged drinking. https://t.co/dOrVuBy7yW — CBS News (@CBSNews) April 20, 2026 CBS News has more: The 19-page lawsuit, filed in the District of Columbia, is seeking $250 million in damages. Sarah Fitzpatrick, the reporter who wrote the story, is also named as a defendant. Patel and the FBI have repeatedly denied allegations in the story, which included allegations that Patel often drinks to excess. The piece, which cited multiple unnamed current and former officials, also said that Patel’s “irregular presence at FBI headquarters and in field offices” has delayed “time-sensitive decisions” that require the FBI director’s input. The lawsuit listed 17 allegations in the article that Patel’s legal team alleges were “false and defamatory statements of fact,” including that he “is known to drink to the point of obvious intoxication.” “Each of the foregoing statements and implications is false. They are so demonstrably and obviously false, or easily refuted, that it was at best reckless to publish them,” the suit said. In a statement posted on X, The Atlantic said, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists from this meritless lawsuit.”