Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo has an uncanny ability to remain ignorant about the seamier side of Donald Trump’s behavior. The same woman who insisted there are no sexual misconduct allegations against Trump last fall today insisted she had never heard him promote violence.
Bartiromo’s latest ridiculous claim came today, during a discussion meant to denigrate Rep. Maxine Waters. She has been criticized for “incivility” in urging the populace to heckle Trumpers in public.
Co-anchor Bill Hemmer set the tone for the discussion by starting with this comment: “This call for uncivility in America is not sittin’ well.”
We saw a clip of Waters defending herself against Republican criticism, saying, “If you want to talk about civility, you start with the president of the United States and you implore him not to continue to promote violence, not to continue to promote divisiveness.”
Guest Bartiromo piped up. “I’ve never heard the president promote violence. I’ve never heard the president promote violence.”
Richard Fowler, the only liberal in the totally fair and balanced discussion that included four conservatives, pointed out that candidate Trump explicitly urged violence, such as “Punch him in the face and I’ll pay your legal bills.” Fowler is absolutely correct, although the wording was slightly different. As video shows below Trump has repeatedly and explicitly encouraged violence. In at least one campaign event, “Trump said, “I’d like to punch him in the face.”
Trump even implicitly threatened violence against Waters just two days ago:
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, an extraordinarily low IQ person, has become, together with Nancy Pelosi, the Face of the Democrat Party. She has just called for harm to supporters, of which there are many, of the Make America Great Again movement. Be careful what you wish for Max!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 25, 2018
Obviously, nobody could refute Trump’s calls for violence so Hemmer stepped in to ask skeptically, “You take that literally?”
The look on Fowler’s face was priceless.
Fowler replied that since people take Waters’ comments literally, how could you not take Trump’s? Fact check: Waters did not threaten violence.
Unable to defend Trump, the lickspittles went on to claim that liberal rhetoric, such as Robert De Niro saying “F*** Trump” is inciting violence.
“All sides need to go to their corners,” Hemmer scolded. Though neither he nor any of his conservative cronies criticized anything Trump or a Republican has said. For example: Sebastian Gorka called for Hillary Clinton’s execution on Fox – and was rewarded with a paid contributorship a few weeks later.
Co-anchor Sandra Smith promoted an editorial by Fox News commentator Brit Hume who, quoting the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, said, “Nothing pays off like restraint of pen and tongue.”
Sadly, Fowler, who is also a paid Fox contributor, stayed on defense and never turned the tables by demanding to know why these civility lovers had never complained about Trump’s rhetoric.
I doubt you’ll ever see this crew lecture Trump the next time he goes on a Twitter rampage.
Watch the double standard below, from the June 27, 2018 America’s Newsroom.