As NewsBusters reported, Fox News host Sean Hannity was rudely treated by Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) Tuesday.
Rather shockingly, the Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz and Lauren Ashburn, in a video posting at the website Daily Download, said Wednesday that Hannity was "in the right" and that it was indeed Ellison that behaved poorly (video follows with transcript and commentary):
HOWARD KURTZ: So a lot of people saw Sean Hannity going at it with Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison and assumed that Hannity was rude to his guest.
LAUREN ASHBURN: Well, this guy came on his show and then tried to filibuster it, right, by yelling at him, saying, “You’re a terrible journalist. You’re the worst journalist. You’re a Republican. You’re awful.”
KURTZ: [Laughs] The Congressman picked the fight, and he kept trying to talk over Hannity, and Hannity barely got five words out before Keith Ellison was accusing of yellow journalism because he played a clip of Barack Obama.
ASHBURN: But he let him vent, and, you know, on your own show, you invite a guest, and the guest decides to attack you, most people just shut him off. Right? But he let him continue to vent.
KURTZ: Well, I actually think Hannity handled it pretty well.
ASHBURN: I do, too.
KURTZ: He gave him a lot of time to talk. He tried to defend himself, and later on in the tape, he, Hannity kept trying to get a question in. Ellison would not let him get the question in. So, I think when a lot of people saw those headlines, they assumed that Hannity was basically being a jerk, and kicked Ellison off his show, but Hannity could barely get a few words in.
ASHBURN: Right, and I really have a hard time with someone who comes on a show and then says, the very first thing he says is, “You’re a terrible journalist.” Well then why are you on the show?
KURTZ: So, perhaps Keith Ellison wanted that confrontation because it helped him.
ASHBURN: Of course he did. Of course, now we know who Keith Ellison is. [Laughs] Right?
KURTZ: Well, some of us knew who he was before.
ASHBURN: I knew who he was before. I meant it [Jokingly goes to punch Kurtz in the face]
KURTZ: [Laughs] So he gets what he wants out of it, and Hannity gets good TV I guess, but Hannity tried to be polite to the guy – he wasn’t having it.
ASHBURN: I agree.
KURTZ: So we both agree – Hannity’s in the right?
ASHBURN: In the right.
KURTZ: Write that down, doesn’t happen that often.
ASHBURN: [Laughs]
Shocking. Two liberals taking Hannity's side over a liberal Congressman.
There's that pig again.
(HT Johnny Dollar)
