It’s a Crime! Fox News Anchors Tell the Truth About Trump’s Witness Intimidation

On Friday the Congressional hearing on Donald Trump’s impeachment continued with the testimony of Marie Yovanovitch, the former Ambassador of the United States to Ukraine. Most observers have noted that Yovanovitch is a respected diplomat whose decades of service to the country reflect her honor and honesty. That opinion, however, is not shared by the President, whose nasty animosity is starkly contrary to the consensus of those who know her and her work.

Fox News, Impeach Trump

While the hearing was in progress, Trump demonstrated his deep-seated fear of the consequences of Yovanovitch’s truthful and credible testimony. True to form, Trump grabbed his Twitter machine and lashed out savagely at her in a loathsome attempt to discredit an honorable public servant. Trump tweeted that…

First of all, the fact that Yovanovitch voluntarily served in “hardship” posts (or what Trump might call shithole countries) is evidence of her patriotism and commitment to the advancement of our national interests. She was not responsible for the adversity in those countries. To the contrary, she could be credited with mitigating the chaos and suffering they endured over many years prior to her tenure.

Trump’s tweets can only be interpreted as intending to intimidate this witness and discourage other witnesses from coming forward. It is a corrupt and potentially illegal act that exposes his consciousness of guilt and further incriminates him. That view is surprisingly shared by the principle “news” anchors at Fox News. Bret Baier was asked for his assessment immediately following the first session on the hearing. He said that…

“This whole hearing turned on a dime when the President tweeted about her real time. And during the questioning Adam Schiff stopped the Democratic questioning to read the President’s tweet to her and get her response. That enabled Schiff to then characterize that tweet as intimidating the witness, or tampering with the witness, which is a crime. Adding, essentially, an article of impeachment real time as this hearing is going on.

Not only did Baier identify the potential criminality embedded in Trump’s disparaging and threatening tweet, but he recognized that having tweeted while the hearing was still in progress was an unusual interruption that had a profound and improper impact. And he wasn’t alone. Fox’s Chris Wallace also commented on Yovanovitch’s testimony saying that “if you are not moved… by the testimony of Marie Yovanovich, you don’t have a pulse.” He went on to deliver a brief history of her sterling career with the State Department. And then he added that…

“I agree with Bret here that the really dramatic moment is that this wasn’t just testimony about the past. This played out in real time with the president attacking her and saying that every place that she served went bad. And she was asked by Adam Schiff, ‘Do you see that as an effort to intimidate you and other witnesses?’ And she said that ‘I feel that is quite intimidating.’ And that does raise the possibility of witness intimidation and witness tampering as a new charge here.”

It was not, however, all hearts and flowers at Fox News. Yovanovitch has been bitterly attacked by the usual suspects during Fox’s primetime (Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham) and their morning propaganda block (Fox and Friends, Outnumbered). Wallace alluded to this when he spoke of the “smear campaign that came from Rudy Giuliani and some of his cohorts and was repeated in some of the outlets in right-wing media.” What Wallace didn’t acknowledge is that Fox News is the most prominent of those right-wing media outlets that smeared her. And we can expect that to continue despite these rare and candid comments from Baier and Wallace.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

UPDATE: As Fox took a break from the hearing, their senior Capitol Hill producer made the utterly irrelevant observation that “When we look at the U.S. Constitution and look at Article 2, Section 4, it doesn’t say anything about witness intimidation.” Of course it doesn’t. It also doesn’t say anything about murder, rape, bank fraud, perjury (see Bill Clinton), tax evasion, child pornography, cannibalism, etc. The Constitution never intended to itemize every possible illegal act that would warrant impeachment.

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7 thoughts on “It’s a Crime! Fox News Anchors Tell the Truth About Trump’s Witness Intimidation

  1. The Three Stooges: Seanny, F’ucker, and Ingrate. And the Tyrant Geuflection Hour: Fucks & Fiends and Outnumbered (called such because the panel is outnumbered by the one man who sets the tone).

    Still, I have to give some credit to Wallace, who I still think his daddy should come back and kick him upside the ass. It’s nice that he recognizes what his fellow Tyrant Worshipers never will: Ms. Yovanovich’s testimony was clearly valid, credible, and made at incredible risk (I did not hear the entire testimony, though). Since we all know there are enough Tyrant Worshiping minions ready to do anything to rid Their Beloved God of this turbulent “priest.”

    And so we ask again: what will it take? There has GOT to be a moment of no return when even the Tyrant Worshipers must understand how unworthy of their worship Their Beloved God truly is. All it took for Richard Nixon was the Saturday Night Massacre, which taught the ReThugs of the time that Nixon was ready to do that to anyone, and that continued support of Nixon would risk their OWN positions.

    And that is taking into account, a) Nixon was impeached for far less, and b) everything Nixon did then would be praised and rationalized if Their Beloved God did it today. And we all know the Tyrant’s crimes are even more dangerous than Nixon’s who was just trying to protect his own ass, as opposed to the Tyrant and his minions working to subvert our government and our country’s principles.

    I have been appending this to most of my tweets:
    We are #TheResistance and #WeThePeople, and the Tyrant is a traitor to this Country and a terrorist to the World.

    And the Tyrant has his own minions willing to do anything to protect him despite that. That’s just terrifying.

    • Amen to all of the above.
      And thanks for appropriate alt. name for Laura – Ingrate – like that one. She’s 1 that I didn’t have name for yet. Sean, I just call “Shammity”, such a sham!
      Chris Wallace closest thing they have to “real” now that Shep is gone.
      Little Donny Dimwit’s consciousness of guilt really showing now, as is his total lack of impulse control. Why else would he be doing his witness intimidation in “live time” like that? His puppet-masters can’t rewrite history on that one, is already part of the Official Record ~ Thank you, Mr. Schiff!
      Trump may self- destruct yet… Implode! Hope he takes all those by his side with him! As it should be for anyone propping up the WORST lying, criminal, thug of a President that Russia & the Electoral College ever put in the Oval Office!
      Intimidation of a witness is act of a common thug, a LOSER!
      Did ya’ hear it Trump? “U R A LOSER!” To leave with any self-respect at all, should just resign!
      “Don’t go away mad, just GO AWAY!” (Far away & take your cult of groupies with ya’!)
      Ms. Yavonovich did an impeccable job up there today! More class & dignity in her little toe than in all the Rethugs in that room today! IMHO

      • And speaking of getting one’s ass kicked, here’s Seanny….

        Sean Hannity mocks Ambassador Yovanovitch’s testimony: “I don’t understand snowflake-ism”

        Sayeth the Chief Snowflake and Cowardly Manatee….

        I will tell you that there are some rock stars that are emerging here for the Republicans. I mean, can I just say Yovanovitch “I was devastated that the President, you know, didn’t like me, I was devastated.” I’m like, OK, um, There are so many people that hate me. I just don’t understand snowflake-ism. Get over it! Not everyone in life is going to like you, too bad.

        Seanny? Go f*ck yourself. And I mean AFTER you do it to Your Beloved God….

  2. Ambassador Marie Yavanovitch was removed with prejudice because she was perceived to interfere with trumpenstein’s personal and political agendas.

  3. By the way, in case anyone wasn’t fully aware of this, Seanny is a nitwit….

    Sean Hannity calls Ambassador Yovanovitch “another self-important very narcissistic diplomat snowflake”

    Irony hath no shame. The self-important, vary narcissistic snowflake, who worships a self-important, very narcissistic snowflake, is calling someone far more honorable than he can ever be a “self-important very narcissistic snowflake.”

    As the old saying goes, self-awareness not only doesn’t enter the room with Seanny; it’s not even on the same PLANET!

  4. Wondering how it is that self-awareness can become contaminated &
    morphs into self-centered, or if totally “drowning in it”, self-absorbed?
    Trump being the epitome of that last 1, of course ~ tho not the only 1. Many others; most to lesser degree than he.
    Doubt he was ever self-aware ~ jumped right over that one. Only time “little Donny” skipped a grade! LOL ‘Overachiever’!

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