Megyn Kelly responded to criticism by writer Jeff Pearlman not by addressing his critique of her interview with former CNN correspondent and gun nut Lynne Russell but by distorting his comments and letting guest Dana Loesch smear him. Then Kelly and Loesch moved on to attack critics of Kid Rock over his use of the Confederate flag.

Yesterday, Pearlman wrote a critique of Russell’s op ed on FoxNews.com celebrating guns and attacking gun control advocates, saying, “There’s nothing to debate.”

Russell, you may know, made news this week when her husband shot and killed an alleged attacker who supposedly followed her into her motel room. In his first post about Russell, Pearlman criticized Russell’s “cowboy mentality” and her “I’d rather shoot this out than surrender the $20 in my pocket” thinking.

In his second post, Pearlman criticized Kelly’s July 7 lapdog interview with Russell that never questioned her account of what happened nor whether a gun was really necessary. He wrote, “Not once did she (Kelly) ask whether, perhaps, all would have ended better had she (Russell) simply handed the gunman her money and then, when he left, called the police.”

In fact, in her interview, Russell, said she was sorry the man had been killed “because I’d like to kill him again. I lie in bed and fantasize about all the different ways that I could do it.” Which didn’t seem to put a dent in Kelly’s warm feelings for Russell.

But Kelly ignored the criticism of her and dishonestly went after Pearlman. She deceptively quoted from his post by leaving out the part where he wanted her to ask Russell whether “all would have ended better…” and turned it into a declaration: “All would have ended better had she simply handed the gunman her money and then, when he left, called the police.”

“And he is not the only one who feels this way,” Kelly said accusingly. But she never said who any of the others are. 

Rather than debate Pearlman, Mrs. Independent hosted Dana Loesch for a one-sided discussion attacking him and defending Russell.

Loesch sneered,  “Jeff Pearlman - I didn’t realize, Megyn, that he was such an expert. Why is law enforcement in New Mexico, why are they worrying with talking to Lynne Russell and her husband? They can just call up Jeff Pearlman because he apparently knows everything that happened in this case.”

Kelly complained, “How was she supposed to know in the moment... (whether) the stakes here are really just her money and not her life?”

Loesch added a little liberal bashing for good measure. “It’s victim-shaming. That is what Jeff Pearlman is doing, he is victim-shaming. The same way that the left tells other people that they are victim-shaming rape victims."

That is how “straight news anchor” Kelly handles someone who has criticized her and her guest.

But wait there’s more!

Kelly changed the topic to Kid Rock who, she said, is “a friend of The Kelly File and has been for a long time.” 

Kelly added, “He is now under fire for the Confederate flag which he has used in some of his performances. This group in Detroit [She did not bother to give their actual name] - a city he has done a lot to help! - now wants him boycotted and are calling him ‘a zero’ because he has used the flag.”

This is not the first time Kelly has defended the Confederate flag.

She also insisted that Kid Rock can’t be racist because he has a half-black son. “I wonder if Bobby, Jr. knows that his dad is a racist because he puts this flag up on the board,” she said scornfully.

Kelly also imparted Kid Rock’s response to the criticism. “He has shared with us a message for those who are demanding that he denounce the Confederate flag. …He said, ‘Please tell the people who are protesting, to quote, ‘Kiss my ask-me-some-questions.’”

Loesch defended the flag by race baiting: “They need to ask how many black lives were lost in Chicago over July 4^th weekend because of the Confederate flag.”

“Yeah, good question, Kelly agreed.

Watch The Kelly File’s lapdog interview with Russell, from July 7 below and Kelly’s response to criticism, from last night, below.