Thanks to Fox “liberal,” Bob Beckel threatening Jason Mattera to a knife fight, Mattera got a friendly platform on Fox News he probably would never have gotten otherwise. In its description of his appearance, FoxNews.com elevated Mattera to the level of “journalist.”
You may recall that a few days ago, all but one of The Five co-hosts were condemning Mattera’s latest sleazy tactics. As Ellen wrote then:
You know conservative Jason Mattera’s ambush video of Fox bogeywoman Lois Lerner had to be sleazy if four of The Five co-hosts condemned it. But co-host Bob Beckel took it a step further by challenging “un-American punk” Mattera to “get in touch with me” and “bring a knife.”
Ellen also has a rundown of Mattera’s sliminess. Nothing sums it up better than the fact that Bill O’Reilly sided with his arch enemy Al Franken over an earlier Mattera ambush video.
After Beckel’s rant, it’s no surprise Mattera would get a nice dose of Fox News hospitality. FoxNews.com gave its video of Mattera's follow-up appearance the friendly title, "Backlash for journalist demanding answers from Lois Lerner." But it’s telling that the welcome mat was laid out on Your World, not a prime time show. Even so, host Stuart Varney was not all that sympathetic.
Varney told Mattera, “You’re getting a lot of flack for that video. People say you pressed too hard, you harassed her (Lerner).”
Mattera laughed. “I think the opposite actually. There is overwhelming support for what I did in confronting Lois Lerner. If you look at just the social media reaction, generally it’s positive. Finally someone in the media who’s trying to hold Lois Lerner accountable for using the brute force of the IRS to crack down on conservatives.”
Mattera also responded to Beckel’s comments: “I was actually a little surprised that you have the most trusted name in news, Fox News, and an employee of Fox News threatening physical violence to a reporter who is going out and doing his job.”
Mattera argued that Lerner deserved what she got: “I wasn’t yelling in her face. I was giving her room, and here’s a woman who – I mean, she has ‘guilty’ written all over her face. She ran right across the yard, trying to bust into a neighbor’s house. She doesn’t cooperate with congressional investigators. She is not giving any interviews to the press. So you’re left with little options. …Bob Beckel apparently hasn’t paid any attention to local news. Beat reporters all around the country are constantly staking out politicians. They’re constantly staking out bureaucrats and trying to hold them accountable for corruption.”
But Varney was not buying it. “Did you therefore make more sympathy for Lois Lerner?” he asked.
”I don’t think anyone has sympathy for Lois Lerner. Most people think she should be behind bars,” Mattera replied.
Varney was still not buying it: “People see a woman pursued on private property.” …You pushed her into a neighbor’s property. …She was running away from you.”
Mattera still insisted Lerner deserved what he dished out. “Isn’t it the job of the press to be adversarial certainly to corrupt bureaucrats?” Mattera continued. “Here’s a woman who’s living large on a six-figure government pension. …She’s the one who was harassing them.”
Mattera is showing no signs of discouragement. “I’m just getting started,” he said proudly. He urged viewers to go to his website “and see me going after Harry Reid and asking him how Harry Reid got so rich living on a government paycheck his whole life.” He said Reid’s bodyguard “body slams me into a wall.”
Varney said enthusiastically, “I got to see it …Jason Mattera, big time here, good stuff.”
Watch it below, from yesterday's Your World.