Fox anchor Harris Faulkner tacitly validated Trump ally Rep. Andy Biggs’ false claim that the Mueller investigation has produced no results and she dubiously claimed that all the experts she consulted agree with Donald Trump's claim that he can pardon himself.
Faulkner’s lapdog interview with Trump ally Rep. Andy Biggs was a stunning contrast to her nearly hysterical response to Democrat David Cicilline in the interview that immediately followed Biggs. She seemed as eager to help Biggs get in his anti-Mueller attacks as she was desperate to impede Cicilline from talking about Trump’s guilty behavior.
Faulkner began by asking Biggs whether a president can obstruct justice. She was referring to a January letter, leaked to The New York Times, from Trump’s lawyers to special counsel Robert Mueller, asserting that a president cannot commit obstruction of justice.
After pre-acquitting Trump of any such crime, Biggs acknowledged that it was possible some president might obstruct justice “if he’s acting corruptly" but "short of that, then it’s really hard for me to imagine that the chief of the executive branch is capable of obstructing justice.”
There were numerous lies revealed in the lawyers’ letter. But Faulkner did not mention them. Instead, she all but asked Biggs to corroborate Trump’s claim that he can pardon himself. “What do you make of this notion of the president being able to pardon himself? Everything from what I’ve read and legal experts I’ve talked with have said, 'Well, yes, the president could do that.’”
You have to wonder what Faulkner read and whom she talked to because experts disagree and even Trump toady Alan Dershowitz says no one really knows.
Biggs called it “premature” because “there’s no crime.” But, he added, “There’s no constitutional constraint on the power to pardon of the president.”
Faulkner did note that Rudy Giuliani thought a self-pardon could lead to impeachment. “It could be very explosive,” she said.
Rather than dwell on bad politics for Trump, however, Faulkner moved immediately along to ask what Trump should do “going forward.”
Predictably, Biggs went to the Freedom Caucus default position on the Mueller investigation: not caring about freedom from Russian meddling, nor our democracy’s freedom from Trump’s obvious attempts to undermine the investigation - but freedom from checks and balances on Dear Leader!
BIGGS: Well, I think Robert Mueller and his team are so entrenched. They’ve spent so much money they’ve got to produce a result of some kind. There’s nothing there, otherwise we would have heard about it.
FACT CHECK: Mueller has already produced results: As of May 23, 2018, he has gotten indictments or guilty pleas from at least 19 people and three companies.
Also, in the letter, Trump’s own lawyers have admitted Trump lied about his role in spinning his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised “dirt” on Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.
Faulkner did not correct Biggs’ deception. Instead she let him continue by demanding that Congress shut down the investigation.
BIGGS: I think it’s Congress’ duty to intercede and I think, quite frankly, it’s Jeff Sessions’ obligation to make sure that this investigation gets pulled, it gets shut down and that’s what needs to happen.
Faulkner’s response? She displayed a Trump tweet blaming Mueller’s team for leaking the Sekulow letter.
There was No Collusion with Russia (except by the Democrats). When will this very expensive Witch Hunt Hoax ever end? So bad for our Country. Is the Special Counsel/Justice Department leaking my lawyers letters to the Fake News Media? Should be looking at Dems corruption instead?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 2, 2018
Watch Faulkner enable the undermining of the Russia investigation below, from the June 4, 2018 Outnumbered Overtime.
