C. 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 served as the FBI's chief inspector from December 2005 until his appointment as head of the Cleveland Division.

Figliuzzi discussing a Russian spy case and its implications in 2011 In February 2011 then-director Robert Mueller appointed Figliuzzi assistant director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division.

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." 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." The case was 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.