Four days after Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce smeared a 10-year old autistic boy as a “snowflake” and “stalker,” and one day after she was shamed by the boy’s mother on CNN, Bruce made a public apology to the family.
Yesterday, military mother Dr. Ingrid Herrera-Yee demolished Bruce for attacking son Michael Yee. The younger Yee had asked Vice President Mike Pence for an apology after he brushed his arm against Michael during an event that was part of National Military Appreciation Month. Dr. Yee explained on CNN last night that her son is on the autism spectrum and is studying manners. She also asked that Fox apologize and not use children to score political points.
Here’s part of the Fox News exchange about Michael Yee that occurred on Friday, May 12, 2017:
HOST BILL HEMMER: Kids these days, what - they’re telling their parents what to do, they’re telling their teachers what to do, and I guess they’re telling the vice president what to do.
BRUCE: I guess we’re giving birth to snowflakes now because that looked like that kid needed a safe space in that room.
[…] The eight year-old pretty much stalked the vice president afterwards. He wasn’t even—the headlines said he was “hit, he was struck, he was smashed, he was bumped.” The fabric on his sleeve touched his nose maybe. He stalks the vice president, says, “you owe me an apology.” This is like he was channeling [University of Missouri professor] Melissa Click wanting to get some muscle into the room. This is crazy. Now look, he’s seen it either on television, maybe he’s seen it at home perhaps, but he felt aggrieved because, I don’t know, the vice president maybe slightly touched his nose. It’s pretty amazing.
Today, Bruce claimed she never intended to hurt anyone:
BRUCE: First of all, I am so sorry to the family. My intention was never to hurt a kid and his mom. We had absolutely no idea that Michael was on the autism spectrum.
I’ll take Bruce at her word that she never intended to hurt the family but she clearly intended to malign them. How did she think they’d take it? Furthermore, why did it take the mother going on TV and announcing that her son is autistic for Bruce to decide that she should apologize? Even if she could not get on Fox News until today, she could have posted on Facebook or Twitter. I could find neither today, when she merely reposted someone else’s post of her televised statement.
That said, the rest of her apology was just what I hoped for:
BRUCE: As a gay woman and feminist, I’ve spent most of my adult life working to improve the lives of women and children and those who are disenfranchised.
I get it and I apologize.
I also appreciated the boy’s mother, Dr. Herrera-Yee’s public comments and her clarity on this. A main lesson here: no matter intent, is to leave kids out of our political discussions. We certainly agree on this.
Hemmer, once again hosting, said nothing about his own role in prodding Bruce's comments. Nor did he challenge them at the time.
Now, after Bruce apologized, Hemmer added, “Thank you to the family involved and thank you for your service.”
In other words, Fox and Hemmer put all the onus on Bruce and took no responsibility for all but explicitly urging her to attack the boy.
Watch the apology below, from the May 16, 2017 America’s Newsroom.