Bill O’Reilly And Jesse Watters Lie About Van Jones

Bill O'ReillyLast week Bill O’Reilly interviewed his Fox News colleague Jesse Watters about a video Watters had produced wherein he ambushed Van Jones at a green energy convention. The video itself was a frivolous exercise that succeeded mainly in demonstrating how easy it was for Jones to make Watters look foolish.

More interesting was a part of the exchange between O’Reilly and Watters that included a wholly unfounded attribution by Watters that even O’Reilly found unbelievable:

Watters: He [Van Jones] actually said that the EPA has saved more lives than the department of defense and that Republicans want to poison children.
O’Reilly: Jones said that Republicans want to poison children?
Watters: Yes, he did.
O’Reilly: Was there any reason that the GOP wants to commit homicide?
Watters: Jobs. Poisoning children creates jobs.
O’Reilly: Now wait a minute. This guy was working in the Obama administration. He actually said that the GOP wants to poison children?
Watters: We have it on tape.
O’Reilly: Alright. I want to see that tape on Reality Check on Monday.
Watters: OK.

Well, Monday came and went and there was no video. O’Reilly broadcast his Reality Check segment on Tuesday and there was no video. It should come as no surprise that O’Reilly failed to air the video and didn’t even bother to address the fact that he was breaking his promise to do so. The reason for that is simple: There is no video of Jones saying what Watters alleged he said.

The truth is that Jones never said that Republicans “want to poison children.” He responded to accusations that the EPA kills jobs by noting that the EPA actually saves tens of thousands of lives every year by controlling toxic emissions and pollution. Jones suggested that critics be asked “How many American children are you willing to poison per job?” It was a speculative question meant to stimulate discussion about the relative merits of environmental regulation, not an indictment of the GOP as wannabe children poisoners.

This is yet another example of Fox News making irresponsible and dishonest allegations and failing to back them up with evidence. These phony “journalists” have no problem shamelessly making false statements publicly and then simply letting the whole matter drop and hoping their glassy-eyed audience forgets the part where they promised to provide proof. And judging from the non-reaction from the Fox audience, forgetting is something they do willingly.

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8 thoughts on “Bill O’Reilly And Jesse Watters Lie About Van Jones

  1. I’m still waiting for O’Reilly to ‘come down hard’ on the Bush administration if no WMD were found after the invasion of Iraq, as he said he would do and never did. O’Reilly, I blieve, sent Waters or someone to do an ambush interview of Bill Moyers a few years ago and Moyers made the guy look like a total ass. O’Reilly is an authoritarian, which explains the rage and anger he displays much of the time.

  2. Oppressors hardly ever feel shame in their lies being proven lies. After all when you are a solid member of the “white, christian, male power structure” like Bill-O who exactly is going to confront or depose you?

    • Gene, do you have anything to contribute besides “Oppressors hardly ever feel shame in their lies being proven lies. After all when you are a solid member of the “white, christian, male power structure” like Bill-O who exactly is going to confront or depose you?”

      Just curious Gene, what do you do for a living?

      I assume not much, using words like Oppressors, white, christian, male power structure. People like you attach yourself to a party that you feel you can exploit to get what ever it is you are looking for.

      I would like to guess a little here Gene: Black Female, 20-30, little to no education (A GED Diploma, if you have one), unemployed and on welfare. Be honest, am i right?

      • You are one weird ass mofo man. Everything ok??

      • August you trolling for a date?

        As for being an Oppressor, I can’t blame you as an ignorant Right-Winger all you’ve ever known or been taught is to deingrate, insult, and harm people. The Plutocracy has taught you everything you know and while you can’t oppress people like the Koch Brothers (few can) you can spew vile, bigoted, homophobic, ignorant garbage at those underneath you in the hierarchy of Oppression.

  3. Just as in all authoritarian personalities, the ends justify the means, so they are not only allowed to lie but entitled to do so.

    • Are you referring to politicians in General or just Republicans Randy? If your referring to politicians and political analyst and such, i agree…if you say its just the conservatives & Republicans, i think your off your rocker and are blinded by your position. But you are entitled to that to!

  4. This is BS. They did not lie, they were silenced. Anyone with a grain of sense knows that.

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