Fox News’ Chris Wallace has been granted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sole western interview after his summit with Donald Trump on Monday. Wallace says he will “get into” Russia’s election meddling.
The announcement was made on America’s Newsroom this morning:
WALLACE: We’ll be there for the summit on Monday and immediately after the summit, I will have the first and only interview that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, will give to a western journalist. … There’s gonna be a joint news conference after the summit. President Trump and president Putin answering a few reporters’ questions but then we’re gonna sit down for a half-hour interview, no holds barred, no subjects off limits.
In addition to discussing with Putin “what has been accomplished or not accomplished” at the summit, Wallace said he would ask about Russia’s interference in our elections.
WALLACE: Obviously, we’ll get into the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election and ask him about potential meddling in the 2018 election and then I want to delve into Vladimir Putin and what he wants for his country.
There’s a real question in my mind as to what “get into the allegations” really means. Will Wallace ask about the infamous June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in which Donald Trump Jr. and then-Trump campaign manager (currently under indictment via the Mueller investigation) hoped to get damaging information about Hillary Clinton from a Kremlin-connected lawyer? If so, how far and how aggressively will Wallace probe after the inevitable denial from Putin?
On the one hand, Wallace has shown some independence from the Trump-sycophants at Fox News. Yet, during this segment, he also echoed the Trump-protection spin heard from other Fox Newsers that while Trump’s words have been soft on Russia, his deeds have not.
Watch Wallace discuss with host Sandra Smith his upcoming interview below, from the July 12, 2018 America’s Newsroom.
1. Are you blackmailing Trump?
2. What would you do if the U.S. meddled in your elections?
3. Did you loan money to the Trump Organization?
4. Are there plans to build Trump hotels and resorts in Russia?
5. Are you responsible for the nerve gas attacks in the U.K.?
Mr. KGB will deny it all.
“Yes, of course. And no.”