Megyn Kelly might as well have told the mother of a murdered son, “Tell us all the reasons Donald Trump is right about Mexicans and immigration!” But “straight news anchor” Kelly wasn’t honest enough to own up to her tactics.
Kelly was a vision of sympathy for guest Laura Wilkerson who had testified at a senate hearing about immigration earlier in the day. Apparently, “straight news anchor” Kelly thought all that concern would camouflage how blatantly she was using this woman to advance her own political agenda.
If Kelly had wanted an honest discussion on the subject, she would have hosted an expert on immigration and crime. But just like her colleague Sean Hannity did with the mother of a Marine slain in Chattanooga, Kelly wasted little time making political hay out of Wilkerson’s tragedy.
KELLY: Your son was murdered by a so-called DREAMer, somebody who was brought here by his parents, who the administration has told us, “These are law-abiding citizens, we don’t have to worry about the DREAMers.” Your son was brutally murdered by him and this man is likely to get out on parole by the time he’s 49 years old.
Later, in her most caring voice, Kelly prodded Wilkerson to validate Trump.
KELLY: I know you gave a shout out to Donald Trump, saying you felt heard, when you heard what he said, the remarks people considered controversial (but Kelly promotes). People say, “Oh, Donald Trump is a bigot.” And you say?
As much as I condemn Trump and almost anyone who would support him, I’ll give Wilkerson a pass given her circumstances. But she certainly played her pre-scripted role perfectly.
WILKERSON: I don’t know Donald Trump. I don’t know what he stands for, actually, but I know it felt great to hear him speak the truth. He spoke from – he spoke the truth and it felt like we were being heard and it really was a relief to me. He doesn’t mince words. He says what he wants to say and he doesn’t backtrack on it. What he said had truth in it and so it did feel like finally someone is hearing and listening.
Rather than challenge Wilkerson (compare this to how Kelly attacked the attorney for the Freddie Gray family in Baltimore, e.g.), she put on her thoughtful, concerned face to signal to her viewers that Wilkerson's praise of Trump was worth listening to. A silent endorsement, if you will.
Kelly made that endorsement more explicit as her next comments served to engender more sympathy for Wilkerson (and, by proxy, Trump)
KELLY: Josh was brutally murdered by this young man for no reason whatsoever. He was tortured before he died. You said today, "It’s going to take another life lost by a senator, a congressman, the president, even another hero or someone from Hollywood before somebody DOES SOMETHING (her emphasis) about this." Do you believe that? Do you believe there’s apathy on this, still, in Washington?
As if Kelly had any reason to suspect Wilkerson had changed her mind in the few hours between her testimony and her television appearance.
After Wilkerson gave her predictable answer, Kelly said, “Our condolences to your family on your loss. Thank you for telling your story."
Kelly should have thanked her for helping to promote Fox News’ bigoted, nativist agenda and Donald Trump.
Watch it below, from the July 21 The Kelly File.