MRC president Brent Bozell appeared on the Fox Business program Varney & Co. on Friday morning to discuss media outrage over a tweet by Donald Trump. The president wondered why the Senate Intelligence Committee, busily pressing Facebook on ads placed by Russian operatives, can't investigate "fake news in OUR country." Journalists believe that Congress somehow can't investigate the media -- even as the Senate committee aggressively presses and prods social-media companies like Facebook. Bozell called Trump's tweet "clever."
STUART VARNEY: The left continues the tirades against President Trump. CNN's Jim Acosta pressing White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Thursday. Listen to this.
JIM ACOSTA: Does he — does he value the First Amendment as much as he values the Second Amendment?
HUCKABEE SANDERS: Absolutely. The President is an incredible advocate of the First Amendment. But with the First Amendment —
ACOSTA: You know going after journalists if they disapprove of the President —
HUCKABEE SANDERS: — hold on. I allowed you to finish. With the First Amendment, with those freedoms also come responsibilities and you have a responsibility to tell the truth, to be accurate
VARNEY: A little pressure there. Media Research Center President Brent Bozell joins us now. What is your thoughts, Brent? I mean, on that issue, and also this continuing detestation, this contempt that is expressed so publicly for the President by the media?
BRENT BOZELL: Yeah, just won't stop. In the month of September alone, here we go again, 92 percent negative coverage. It has been in the 90s since he ran for President. It will not stop. Let’s put this issue in its proper perspective: What happened was, the President called for the Senate investigative committee on Russia to investigate the media. At first blush, you don't like the idea of government overseeing the press because it does violate the First Amendment.
On the other hand, what you've got is the press that has been saying for months and months and months that there was collusion between the Trump administration and the Russians. In the report that just came out, they said it's not true. There's not one lick of evidence after all these months. If you have got all the media suggesting that the President was lying, now the President is saying, maybe they should investigate the media lying. I think it's clever.
VARNEY: You know this, is extraordinary. Because you're right. For months and months, it was “Russia, Russia, Russia! He is in collusion with the Russians. He tipped the election.” But now there is a report, that is not true, didn't happen. I'm not seeing that reported anywhere. Now, Fox has been doing it. We've been doing it. Everywhere else they have not touched it.
BOZELL: There is nothing new about Russians meddling in elections. This has been going on, documented for decades. That it has been happening. By the way, the United States does it too around the world. I mean, these things happen. But, the suggestion that the Trump administration whether the President, whether Jared Kushner, whether General Mattis, whether — all these stories that have come out, we must underscore in the thousands of stories there is still not one scintilla of evidence. And yet, they keep, there's this drumbeat, drumbeat, drumbeat. So, I think, again, the President is making a very interesting point to the press, saying, “Maybe they should be investigating your lying.”
VARNEY: Please.
BOZELL: And they are going crazy. They are going crazy.
VARNEY: You are our table pounder and we like it. Brent Bozell, thanks for joining us, Brent. We’ll see you again real soon.
