Fox News building on 6th Avenue in NYC. Photo courtesy Jim Henderson via Wikimedia Commons.
On Wednesday, Fox News host Shephard Smith announced on-air that his network failed to find a Republican willing to defend President Donald Trump and his comments on the violence in Charlottesville last weekend.
“Our booking team — and they’re good — reached out to Republicans of all stripes across the country today,” Smith said during his broadcast. “Let’s be honest, Republicans often don’t really mind coming on Fox News Channel. We couldn’t get anyone to come and defend him here. Because we thought, in balance, someone should do that. We worked very hard at it throughout the day, and we were unsuccessful,” he continued.
Following violence at a white supremacist rally on Saturday in Charlottesville that resulted in the death of 32-year old Heather Heyer and injured nearly 20 other counter-protesters, President Donald Trump said “both sides” were to blame, while also claiming there were some “very fine people” in attendance of the white nationalist rally.
“And,” Smith continued, “of those that are condemning the president’s condemnable actions, I’ve not heard any prominent leaders, former presidents, members of the House or the Senate use his name while speaking in generalities,” Smith said.
UPDATE: Other networks have announced similar problems.
Chuck Todd, NBC: “We invited every single Republican senator on this program tonight, all 52.” Plus a dozen House Republicans. “None of them agreed to discuss this issue with us today.”
Wolf Blitzer, CNN: “We did reach out to Republican leaders throughout the day. They all, at least for now, refused to join us.”
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