Amidst the media’s obsession with supposedly stopping fake news, MSNBC Live aired a fake news story of their own on Friday morning as the network informed viewers that “Fox News had their Christmas party” at President-elect Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C. hotel.
“I mean, think about the hotel in Washington right now. The RNC is having their Christmas party there. Fox News had their Christmas party there. That doesn't feel a little hanky,” host Stephanie Ruhle claimed just after 9:30 a.m. Eastern time while speaking to former Martin O’Malley aide Lis Smith and GOP strategist Brad Todd.
Roughly five hours later, Ruhle guest-hosted on MSNBC for Thomas Roberts and she used the opportunity to apologize in which she explained that she’s “since learned that neither Fox network nor an affiliate held any party at Trump’s Washington hotel”:
Earlier today in a segment — oh, you know, what? This is some serious business that I need to share. I need to apologize to the audience. Earlier today in a segment, I stated that the Fox network held their holiday party at Trump’s D.C. hotel. I was wrong. We’ve since learned that neither Fox network nor an affiliate held any party at Trump’s Washington hotel. I stand corrected. I apologize for the error. I am truly, truly sorry. The mistake entirely my fault. And of course, I wish all my friends over at Fox a very happy holiday no matter where you have your party.
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Our friends at Mediaite were the first ones on scene to chronicle Ruhle’s fibbing that came just after Todd defended Trump’s decision “to reimburse his company” when he flew on his private plane for campaign business.
Ruhle then shot back with her blatant falsehood:
Without a doubt, but did he need to be eating only in Trump restaurants, staying in Trump hotels? I mean, think about the hotel in Washington right now. The RNC is having their Christmas party there. Fox News had their Christmas party there. That doesn't feel a little hanky?
By 11:20 a.m. Eastern, Mediaite’s Justin Baragona had been informed by Fox News that the network “hasn’t had its party yet” and “will be held at the Liaison Capitol Hill” instead of the Trump International Hotel Washington D.C.
The relevant portions of the transcript from MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle on December 9 can be found below.
MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle
December 9, 2016
9:35 a.m. Eastern
BRAD TODD: Stephanie, legally, he had to reimburse his company. If he takes that plane, if he hadn't reimbursed the company, we’d be on this show talking about him having a violation of federal election laws.
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Without a doubt, but did he need to be eating only in Trump restaurants, staying in Trump hotels? I mean, think about the hotel in Washington right now. The RNC is having their Christmas party there. Fox News had their Christmas party there. That doesn't feel a little hanky?
TODD: I can tell you — I can tell if you don't believe in your own product enough to partake of it, why would you expect other people to do it? I think the voters — one of the reasons Donald Trump won the election is because the voters thought he was a real businessman with a real job outside the phony world of politics.
(....)
2:35 p.m. Eastern
RUHLE: Earlier today in a segment — oh, you know, what? This is some serious business that I need to share. I need to apologize to the audience. Earlier today in a segment, I stated that the Fox network held their holiday party at Trump’s D.C. hotel. I was wrong. We’ve since learned that neither Fox network nor an affiliate held any party at Trump’s Washington hotel. I stand corrected. I apologize for the error. I am truly, truly sorry. The mistake entirely my fault. And of course, I wish all my friends over at Fox a very happy holiday no matter where you have your party.
