According to the Democrats, Fox News is akin to state-run television, the propaganda arm of Dictator Donald Trump. But you wouldn’t know it by Trump’s recent tweets.
According to Politico, Trump lashed out at Fox News on Saturday night over its decision to book Sunday interviews with both former FBI Director James Comey and Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff (CA), the House Intelligence Committee head whose televised impeachment hearings caught the attention of the nation — despite the fact that they failed to turn up any evidence of wrongdoing by Trump.
Trump tweeted Saturday:
Hard to believe that @FoxNews will be interviewing sleazebag & totally discredited former FBI Director James Comey, & also corrupt politician Adam âShiftyâ Schiff. Fox is trying sooo hard to be politically correct, and yet they were totally shut out from the failed Dem debates!
â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2019
“How’s Shep doing?”
In his tweet, Trump pointed to the Democratic National Committee’s March decision to bar Fox from hosting any of its 2020 presidential primary debates. Despite hiring former Democrat staffers and liberal hosts like Chris Wallace, it seems Fox can’t get on the left’s good side — and Trump isn’t happy with them either.
Both Commiecast MSNBC & Fake News CNN are watching their Ratings TANK. Fredo on CNN is dying. Donât know why @FoxNews wants to be more like them? Theyâll all die together as other outlets take their place. Only pro Trump Fox shows do well. Rest are nothing. Howâs Shep doing?
â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2019
Trump, as usual, hit all the bases here, going from when CNN’s Chris Cuomo got upset after being called “Fredo” to the recent move by longtime Fox anchor Shepard “Shep” Smith to step away from the network. And Trump isn’t wrong about those mainstream media outlets’ failing ratings, either, according to The Washington Times.
The president’s tweets came after it was revealed that Chris Wallace, the Fox News Sunday host who is known to be critical of Trump, was scheduled to interview both Comey and Schiff on Sunday. The interviews touched on the impeachment inquiry, which the House is expected to vote on this upcoming Wednesday, and the recent release of Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report on alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) by the FBI ahead of the 2016 election.
Schiff, of course, has been a central figure in both matters. Comey, on the other hand, is more prominent in the latter.
“He’s right. I was wrong.”
It was somewhat of a surprise to see the former FBI director on Fox, particularly after he tweeted last week that Fox & Friends had cut him from its programming following the release of Horowitz’s report, Breitbart noted. Fox later said in a statement saying that Comey was “not booked and was never confirmed to appear on Fox & Friends,” according to The Hill.
FYI: I offered to go on Fox & Friends to answer all questions. I canât change their viewers on Donald Trump but hoped to give them some actual facts about the FBI. They booked me for tomorrow at 8 am. They just cancelled. Must have read the report.
â James Comey (@Comey) December 9, 2019
When Comey finally appeared alongside Wallace on Sunday, he was forced to admit that his “victory lap” following the release of Horowitz’s report wasn’t totally justified, The Hill noted.
“Seventeen significant errors in FISA process, and you say it was handled in a thoughtful and appropriate way,” Wallace pressed the former FBI chief. In response, Comey admitted: “He’s right. I was wrong… There was real sloppiness.”
As for Schiff, he wasn’t as willing to admit his wrongdoing. “I’m certainly willing to admit that the inspector general found serious abuses of FISA that I was unaware of,â Schiff told Wallace, according to Mediaite. “But I think itâs only fair to judge what we know at the time, not what would be revealed two years later.”