In what should sadly be to the shock of no one, the “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC all refused on Friday morning to cover the hard-hitting but fair Fox News Channel interview of new author and former FBI Director James Comey by Special Report host Bret Baier.
The only mention of Comey in the network morning newscasts was a passing nod on CBS This Morning during the 8:00 a.m. Eastern as the child of a White House press corps member asked Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about why was Comey fired by President Trump.
“Well, there in the White House Briefing Room, one child asks Press Secretary Sanders why the President signed former FBI Director James Cowomey — Comey. Sanders said, quote, Comey did some things that weren't really nice,’” co-host Norah O’Donnell explained at the 8:24 a.m. Eastern mark.
Fellow co-host and Obama donor Gayle King then quipped:
After which Sarah Sanders said: “What is the name of your mom and dad?” Because just for a child to ask, “Does the President still trust Ronny Jackson?” Imagine the conversation that the kids hear at home with their parents. It’s a very true – that shows you what’s going on in that house. That’s kinda funny.
Sure, it’s been over a week since the Comey book tour officially began with the airing of his ABC primetime special with former Clinton official George Stephanopoulos. But Comey’s comments about the President being unfit for office, comparing Trump to a mob boss, and encouraging Americans to vote him out office remain red meat for the liberal media.
My colleague Geoffrey Dickens wrote on April 17 that, from April 12-17, there had been two hours, 24 minutes, and 10 seconds of Comey book tour coverage on the morning and evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Following that study, subsequent TV interviews included (but were not limited to) CBS’s The Late Show, NBC’s Today, ABC’s The View, MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, CNN’s The Lead, and even a CNN town hall.
However, the only comparable interview to Baier was The Lead interview thanks to host Jake Tapper, who took Comey to task hours after the Justice Department Inspector General sent a criminal referral to the U.S. Attorney’s office in D.C. for Comey’s former top lieutenant Andrew McCabe.
As for Baier’s interview, his 26-minute interview with Comey touched on the timeline for exonerating Hillary Clinton in her e-mail probe, why Cheryl Mills was allowed to participate in Clinton’s FBI interview, the Steele dossier, who funded the dossier, leaking the Trump Tower meeting, having his memos leaked to the media, Strzok/Page text messages, and whether he would have liked to continue serving as FBI Director in spite of his feelings about the President.
It truly was a master class in journalism a la interviews of yesteryear as the late Tim Russert did with use of quotes and video clips, pinning Comey down on certain topics using his own words from congressional testimony. The fact that Comey oinly faced such scrutiny about two weeks into his book tour showed the liberal media’s echo chamber and sophisticated level of group think.
And that Baier’s interview received zero praise on the major networks only furthered the lunacy being perpetuated and, no, it’s not an “infection” to think that the liberal media have failed people.
