While its leftist critics continually ignore them, Fox News Channel employs a number of liberal commentators. Unfortunately, it is continuing to stand by one of them, Democratic strategist Jehmu Greene, who insulted Daily Caller editor Tucker Carlson as a “bow-tying white boy.”
Greene, former national director of the liberal group Project Vote, made the insult during a debate with Carlson on last Thursday’s “America Live” show and has since apologized privately, however in an interview with Accuracy in Media, the network did not indicate that Greene would face further repercussions for her racist outburst.
There is no indication that her financial relationship with Fox News has suffered as a result of the racial outburst.
“Jehmu apologized to Tucker by phone after the segment,” Irena Briganti, Group Senior Vice President at FOX News Channel & FOX Business Network, tells Accuracy in Media.
This is apparently the end of the matter for Fox News.
Greene is one of several liberal commentators whom FNC has added recently including Santita Jackson, daughter of disgraced activist Jesse Jackson, as a response to criticism that it did not have a sufficient number of left-of-center voices on the network.
The racist insult came in the context of a debate with Carlson over the controversy surrounding Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren and her claims to be of partial American Indian descent based upon a family legend. According to Warren’s critics, she used that family legend as a basis of claiming to be a racial minority, thereby potentially gaining preferential treatment under affirmative action policies.
In the debate, Greene defended Warren and attacked Carlson for promoting a distraction.
“To question this woman on her qualifications is going to be something that does appeal to folks like you,” Greene said. “Voters like you, bow-tying white boys. But at the end of the day it is going to backfire.”
Carlson reacted strongly to Greene’s insult saying that she could “use name calling all you like but you’re ignoring the truth.”
Greene appeared to be unaware that she had used a racial slur, responding immediately that she “didn’t call you a name.”
Later in the segment, “America Live” host Megyn Kelly apologized to viewers who were subjected to the remark:
“I want to apologize to Tucker and to our viewers for that. I wasn’t sure I heard what I thought I heard. And now I have confirmed—it was that. It wasn’t consistent with our standards and I do apologize on behalf of the program.”
