Judge tosses Kash Patel's defamation suit against former MSNBC contributor - BERITAJA

A national judge successful Texas has tossed a defamation suit brought by FBI Director Kash Patel against erstwhile FBI adjunct director-turned-MSNBC contributor Frank Figliuzzi.

Patel had sued Figliuzzi complete comments he made connected "Morning Joe" about the FBI director’s evening activities.

"Yeah, well, reportedly, he’s been visible astatine nightclubs acold much than he has been connected the seventh level of the Hoover building," Figliuzzi said connected the show past year. ("Morning Joe" now airs connected MS NOW.)

Figliuzzi's lawyers based on that "this remark was a sarcastic, hyperbolic remark that receives protection from defamation liability."

Frank Figliuzzi, erstwhile adjunct head for counterintelligence astatine the FBI, successful 2021. Cheney Orr / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

U.S. District Judge George Hanks Jr. agreed, writing, “Figliuzzi’s statement, erstwhile taken successful context, cannot person been perceived by a personification of mean intelligence arsenic stating existent facts about Patel.”

"A personification of reasonable intelligence and learning would not person taken his connection literally: that Dir. Patel has really spent much hours physically successful a nightclub than he has spent physically successful his agency building," the judge added.

The judge said that since he believes the connection constitutes "rhetorical hyperbole," it cannot beryllium defamation.

Marc Fuller, Figliuzzi's lawyer, hailed the determination arsenic a "victory for property state and the First Amendment."

The judge, however, denied Figliuzzi's petition for lawyer fees and different costs.

The ruling came 2 days aft Patel filed a abstracted defamation suit against The Atlantic mag complete a communicative it published past week that alleged he drinks to excess and has had unexplained absences astatine the bureau.

The lawsuit, which seeks $250 cardinal from the magazine, alleges that the article is simply a "sweeping, malicious and defamatory deed piece."

The Atlantic defended the communicative by Sarah Fitzpatrick, who is simply a erstwhile elder investigative shaper for Beritaja.

"We guidelines by our reporting connected Kash Patel, and we will vigorously take sides The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit," The Atlantic’s elder vice president of communications, Anna Bross, said.