In The Kelly File’s preview of an upcoming interview with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Fox touted Megyn Kelly as a tough interviewer. But Kelly's own comments indicated she's going to paint the so-called “liberal media” as the real villains in the Duggar sex scandal. Oh, and Bill Clinton, too.
As I’ve previously noted, Fox has mostly ignored the Duggar sexual molestation scandal. Now it looks like Fox is ready to acknowledge it – at the same time that the network has figured out how to spin it.
The preview began with a rundown by Fox’s Trace Gallagher of the scandal involving son Joshua Duggar’s molestation of underaged girls, including his sisters, while he was a teenager. Gallagher quoted unquestioningly from the Duggars when he relayed their reasons for going on The Kelly File: “to share our hearts with you about the pain that we walked through as a family twelve years ago, the tears we all shed and the forgiveness that was given.”
No mention of the pain the Duggars may have caused by holding themselves up as paragons of purity, all the while concealing this not-so-pure behavior.
Gallagher played a clip of Republican Nicolle Wallace praising the Duggars as “smart” for going on The Kelly File but also saying they’re “fools if they think that Megyn Kelly is gonna go easy on them.” Wallace called Kelly “tough” and said she’d “put journalism ahead of any sort of politics.”
Well, either Wallace doesn’t watch The Kelly File or she’s such a Republican acolyte that she hasn’t noticed how blatantly biased Kelly is.
Kelly proved it moments later when she began talking with Fox's media critic, Howard Kurtz.
KELLY: I’ll take that reputation as a tough but fair journalist. However, this isn’t going to be a cross examination of a family. It’s going to be an interview. I want to hear their story. And I think America wants to hear their story now. And what’s been remarkable to me as, I admit, somebody who doesn’t watch this show, is to see how many in the media have handled it. From jumping to “They’re the worst, the house of horrors, this family’s sick, sick, sick” to people like this woman on CNN trying to make this the problem of the Republican presidential field.
Kelly played a clip of CNN’s Poppy Harlow talking about all the Republicans who have had their photos taken with Jim Bob Duggar.
Kelly turned into a vision of scripted indignation on behalf of Republicans.
KELLY: Bill Clinton was accused of rape! He has been accused by several women of sexually assaulting them! But the fact that a presidential candidate has posed with some random member of the family that’s going through this issue is somehow a problem for the GOPers?
Rather than call out this sleight of hand, Kurtz smiled appreciatively as she spoke. He continued, “That CNN reporter had plenty of company.” He went on to complain about how he has been “disgusted” by “some liberal media types” for using “a family tragedy to score political points.”
As if Fox wouldn’t do exactly that if the Duggars were liberal.
“Where is the media outcry over the fact that someone in law enforcement leaked to InTouch Weekly and to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Josh Duggar’s juvenile police records, which are supposed to be sealed and sacrosanct?” Kurtz asked. “Some critics enjoying this scandal so much, Megyn, they can’t even be bothered to mention that.”
Kelly added that in addition to the improper release of Josh Duggar’s private records, “The records of the young girls have also been released and, in part, their identity because the police records leave very little doubt about who they are.”
This is actually a valid point, in my view. But why is Kelly conflating it with her interview with the Duggars, if not to make them more sympathetic?
And/or to use the tragedy to score her own political points?
Watch it below, from the June 1 The Kelly File.
But that’s another topic- Let’s leave this to the topic at hand.
Don’t you just love the “personal responsibility” right-wingers always take when they get caught with their pants down (literally)?
.
Yeah- An incestuous pedophile that his parents covered it up, and the counselor and officer who helped turned out to be other pedophiles? A-OK.
Caitlyn Jenner? ATTACK!!!!
To the paid interns and trolls that spy on sites like this: Think long and hard about that. If you’re not re-thinking your life when you’re done, then you’re not anyone worth wasting my time trying to explain it to. Even a simpleton with a conscience should be able to get it in those terms.
Fuck you Duggars – all of you.
Fuck you Megyn.
Fuck you FOX.
Fuck you Rupert.
Fuck you Roger.
Fuck every fucking last one of you, your viewers, your supporters, your entire network and every fucking personality you employ.
Fuck you all
Seriously
Here’s the message as posted on the Advocate’s website (from August of last year):
“Hello, this is Michelle Duggar,” the robocall begins. "I’m calling to inform you of some shocking news that would affect the safety of Northwest Arkansas women and children. The Fayetteville City Council is voting on an ordinance this Tuesday night that would allow men — yes, I said men — to use women’s and girls’ restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas and other areas that are designated for females only.
“I don’t believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls. I doubt that Fayetteville parents would stand for a law that would endanger their daughters or allow them to be traumatized by a man joining them in their private space. We should never place the preference of an adult over the safety and innocence of a child. Parents, who do you want undressing next to your daughter at the public swimming pool’s private changing area?”
Apparently in the world of Mamma Duggar, transwomen are a greater threat to the safety of young girls than her own son REALLY was/is.
It’s also worth noting that the “Family” Research Council was founded by James Dobson, a man who compared the raising of children to raising dogs (in his retelling he claims to be “embarrassed” when he tells one particular incident but you can’t help but notice he seems to relish the details of how a 200-pound man finally defeats a 12-pound dog) and even recommended fathers should shower with their sons as some sort of homosexuality prevention method (because little boys who think they may be gay are going to NOT like the sight of a bigger penis? I honestly don’t get what Dobson’s overall point was with this notion).
No?
Neither I’m I.
Hulu, the streaming service, has cut ties with TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting.” This is the interesting part. Hulu is co-owned-with Comcast and ABC-by 21st Century Fox’s Fox Broadcasting Company. 21st Century Fox is the parent company of Fox “News.”
Fox’s Ownership of Hulu
http://www.multichannel.com/news/content/fox-nbc-disney-keep-ownership-hulu/358094
Hulu has severed ties with TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting”
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-hulu-pulls-19-kids-and-counting-20150528-story.html
This information should be shared by the masses through radio, television, publications and social media before her interview with the Duggars.
What you and Megyn seem to have forgotten is that Clinton did face action over his alleged crimes (and, it’s worth noting, ALL the women who Clinton was involved with were ADULTS—oh, and none were forced into those affairs). Duggar’s actions, regardless of when they happened, were against CHILDREN. (Just because you’re a teenager doesn’t mean it’s not child molestation.) And Josh didn’t face any real punishment for his crimes. He got a “talking to” by some law enforcement friend (who’s now serving time on kiddie porn charges) and then got a job with another family friend doing some work one summer.