Fox News host Chris Wallace is annoyed at his network’s “opinion people.”
Wednesday, after a day of Senate testimony from Attorney General William Barr, the newsman called out his colleagues who are letting their “political agenda” get in the way of the “facts.” He was particularly perturbed by those dismissing Robert Mueller’s letter criticizing Barr’s four-page summary of the special counsel’s report.
“I know there are some people who don’t think this March 27 letter is a big deal,” Wallace said. “Some opinion people, some opinion people who appear on this network, who may be pushing a political agenda.”
He went on: “But, you know, we have to deal in facts. And the fact is that this letter from the special counsel, and it was one of at least three contacts with the Attorney General between March 25 and March 27, was a clear indication that [Mueller] was upset, very upset, with the letter that had been sent out by the Attorney General, and wanted it changed, or wanted it at least added to, and the Attorney General refused to do so. He felt the Attorney General’s letter was inaccurate.”
The context for this isn’t hard to find. Wednesday morning, Wallace appeared on Fox News and said the letter created a problem for Barr, whose choice to keep it secret left some feeling as if he’d “misled the country on the essential contents of the report.” Laura Ingraham, one of Fox’s “opinion people,” disagreed. She called into the network’s prehearing coverage and said Mueller’s letter is a “nonstory.” Then she called out Wallace by name:
Now, I know Chris Wallace at the top of your hour was indicating, I guess, that he kind of agrees with these other cable networks that this was an attempt by the DOJ to spin what the conversation was between Barr and Mueller. So I don’t know if Chris Wallace has information that I don’t have, but that he is saying that Barr is perpetuating a lie about this conversation between him and Mueller?
Wallace’s rant followed a few hours later.
