by Samantha Belker
Fox News host Tucker Carlson called out opinion host Shepard Smith for being a left-wing political activist masquerading as an objective journalist.
Carlson was reacting after Smith slammed former U.S. Attorney Joe diGenova as “repugnant” because diGenova pointed out that President Donald Trump did nothing wrong during his July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s president.
In so doing, diGenova contradicted Smith and his guest, Judge Andrew Napolitano, who falsely claimed that Trump broke federal laws by asking the Ukrainian president to look into why Joe Biden had threatened Ukraine when he was vice president.
For the record, Napolitano was a former judge in New Jersey state court. In contrast, diGenova was a former United States Attorney. A federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice typically knows more about federal law than a state judge does, who focuses on state law.
Carlson recounted: “Yesterday, Judge Andrew Napolitano — a legal analyst at Fox and a very nice guy — went on one of our daytime shows and declared that the President’s phone call with the head of Ukraine was a crime.”
Tucker told diGenova: “Apparently [Shepard Smith], who hosted Judge Napolitano, was watching last night and was outraged by what you said and quite ironically, called you ‘partisan.’”
Carlson added: “It makes people cynical when you dress up news coverage — when you dress up partisanship as ‘news coverage’ — and pretend that your angry political opinions are ‘news.’ People tune out. They know dishonesty when they see it.”
Tucker Carlson, like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, is an opinion host on Fox News. That means they’re open with their audience about their personal political views.
In contrast, Shepard Smith claims he’s an “objective journalist,” when in reality he’s a leftist Trump-hater. This is why millions of Americans trash CNN and not MSNBC.
While both cable news networks are left-wing, MSNBC is open about its leftist bias, whereas CNN pretends it’s “objective journalism” despite its hyperpartisan coverage.
That’s why CNN gets ridiculed far more often than MSNBC does and gets crushed in the ratings. Being honest with the public gives you more credibility (and better ratings).
During last night’s interview with Joe diGenova, the former federal prosecutor underscored why former New Jersey state judge Andrew Napolitano is wrong in his claims that Trump broke the law.
“Let me sort of educate Judge Napolitano. The president of the United States is the executive branch under Article 2 [of the United States Constitution]. He is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States. He can ask anyone — a citizen, a foreign leader — a question. He can make a suggestion about an investigation because he runs them.
And by the way, the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel has said that requesting information from a foreign government is not a ‘foreign contribution’ [to a presidential candidate’s campaign].”
I have been a U.S. Attorney and an Independent Counsel and an Investigative Counsel on Capitol Hill in the House and the Senate. Judge Napolitano has never been a U.S. Attorney. He has never been a federal prosecutor. He has never conducted a federal grand jury. I have done all of those things.
If he wants to have an opinion, that’s fine. I am not a paid Fox contributor. I am a guest of Fox Network. I come on when they ask me…to tell the truth. As a matter of law, I know what I’m talking about in the law.”
You asked me my legal opinion and I gave it. Judge Napolitano gave his legal opinion, and he is entitled to it. But I can tell you — as a former United States Attorney — that I’m right.”
DiGenova explained that unlike Shepard Smith or Andrew Napolitano, he’s honest about “the fact that I support the president of the United States. I believe he has been framed. I believe he is an innocent man.”
DiGenova continued: “Judge Napolitano just doesn’t like the president of the United States. He is entitled to feel that way. He is a disappointed office seeker. He didn’t get a seat on the Supreme Court that he desperately wanted, and has been mad about it ever since. He showed it yesterday and he showed it so many times over the last year. It’s pretty embarrassing.”
