Frank Figliuzzi

Education

Figliuzzi earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Fairfield University and a Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Figliuzzi also completed the Harvard University National Security Program for Senior Executives in Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Career

Figliuzzi joined the FBI as a special agent in August 1987. He worked for the FBI at headquarters in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. and at offices in San Francisco, Miami, and Cleveland. He was the assistant special agent in charge of the Miami Field Office, the FBI's fifth largest office.

Following the September 11 attacks, Figliuzzi headed the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Miami, where several of the hijackers had trained. In October 2001, he served as on-scene commander for the FBI's investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks at American Media Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida, directing evidence recovery from the largest HAZMAT crime scene in FBI history. Figliuzzi also served as the FBI's chief inspector from December 2005 until his appointment as head of the Cleveland Division. As assistant director, he was based at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and worked closely with other government executives.

In October 2011, the FBI released surveillance materials from "Operation Ghost Stories," a decade-long investigation that led to the June 2010 arrest of ten Russian sleeper agents and the largest spy swap since the Cold War. As assistant director for counterintelligence, Figliuzzi supervised the declassification and served as FBI spokesperson, telling the Associated Press the network was the "largest network of illegals ever seen in the U.S." and that the agents "were getting very close to penetrating U.S. policymaking circles."

Public commentary

Since joining NBC and MSNBC as a national security analyst, Figliuzzi has been a frequent commentator on Trump administration matters.

In August 2019, following the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings, Figliuzzi suggested on The 11th Hour with Brian Williams that Trump had erred in deciding to fly flags at half-staff until August 8 as "88" is significant in neo-Nazi symbolism because "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet, making "88" a stand-in for "Heil Hitler." The comment drew criticism, with conservative commentator Ann Coulter calling it the "craziest thing ever said on TV."

The National Review reported that, in June 2021, Figliuzzi stated on MTP Daily that addressing domestic terrorism might require arresting "people sitting in Congress right now, people in and around the former president," describing them as the potential "command and control element."

In February 2025, Figliuzzi suggested on MSNBC that a quote Trump posted on social media - "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law," attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte - was instead a reference to Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik, adding that Trump voters should "question whether you're American anymore." Former FBI Special Agent Maureen O'Connell called the commentary "shocking."

Figliuzzi has been critical of Kash Patel, writing that Patel was "one of the most ill-suited Cabinet nominees—not just now, but of all time."

Defamation lawsuit

In June 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against Figliuzzi in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The lawsuit stemmed from comments Figliuzzi made during a May 2, 2025, appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe, where he stated that Patel had "reportedly been visible at nightclubs far more than he has been on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building."

MSNBC issued a correction on May 5, 2025, with co-host Jonathan Lemire stating, "This was a misstatement. We have not verified that claim." Patel's complaint alleged that Figliuzzi "fabricated a specific lie" and that Patel had "not spent a single minute inside of a nightclub" since becoming FBI director.

Figliuzzi filed a motion to dismiss in September 2025, calling the lawsuit "performative" and arguing that no reasonable viewer would have understood the remark as literal fact. The case is scheduled for trial in Spring 2027.

Author

Figliuzzi is the author of two nonfiction books, The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau's Code of Excellence, a national best seller published in 2021, and Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers, published in 2024.

References

References

1. (August 3, 2012). "Robert Anderson, Jr. Named Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division". fbi.gov.
2. "Cesare Frank Figliuzzi - View Obituary & Service Information".
3. "C. Frank Figliuzzi Appointed as Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division".
4. (January 18, 2007). "New Head at Cleveland FBI: Frank Figliuzzi Interview". Wcpn.org.
5. "MSNBC Author Frank Figliuzzi".
6. (October 18, 2022). "G-Man: Frank Figliuzzi's FBI Story".
7. "C. Frank Figliuzzi Named Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Cleveland Field Office".
8. (October 31, 2011). "FBI sheds new light on Russian spy ring". CBS News.
9. (October 31, 2011). "FBI releases video on Anna Chapman, other Russian spies". NBC News.
10. (August 7, 2019). "NBC analyst: Trump re-raising US flags on Aug. 8 'very significant to the neo-Nazi movement'". The Hill.
11. (June 9, 2021). "Former Assistant FBI Director Suggests Congressmen, Trump Officials Should Be Arrested for Capitol Riot". National Review.
12. Schonfeld, Zach. (June 12, 2025). "FBI head Kash Patel suing MSNBC's Frank Figliuzzi over nightclub hopping claims". The Hill.
13. Swenson, Kyle. (June 11, 2025). "FBI Director Kash Patel Sues MSNBC Analyst Frank Figliuzzi Over Nightclub 'Lie'". The Daily Beast.
14. Casady, Michelle. (November 5, 2025). "Ex-FBI Special Agent Wants $5M Defamation Suit Tossed". The Texas Lawbook.
15. Figliuzzi, Frank. (2021). "The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau's Code of Excellence". Custom House.
16. Figliuzzi, Frank. (2024-05-28). "Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers". Mariner Books.