On Monday’s The O’Reilly Factor, during the show’s regular "Reality Check" segment, FNC host O’Reilly seemed to pick up on a NewsBusters item which highlighted ABC’s Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts defending Mexican President Felipe Calderon using his speech in Congress as a forum to criticize Arizona’s effort to enforce laws against illegal immigration. In their defense of Calderon on Sunday's This Week show's Roundtable segment, the the two ABC News veterans brought up past American Presidents criticizing communist dictators in China and the Soviet Union.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the "Reality Check" from the Monday, May 24, The O’Reilly Factor on FNC:
BILL O'REILLY: "Back of the Book" segment tonight, "Reality Check," where the truth sets us all free. We just showed you what could be a biased comment by ABC News anchor Dan Harris. Now, we have another display, this one by former ABC News White House correspondent Sam Donaldson.
SAM DONALDSON, ABC NEWS: Calderon represents Mexico. And he said what a lot of Americans are also saying, that that Arizona law is discriminatory, and it ought not to have been on the books.
JAKE TAPPER, ABC NEWS: That law is actually supported by a majority of Americans, according to polling, and I can't believe that you're actually comparing to Tiananmen Square, right? I mean, you're not?
DONALDSON: Well, I'm not comparing a massacre in Tiananmen Square to what's happening in Arizona, but you raised the subject of having someone come to another country and lecture them.
TAPPER: And you think it's okay?
COKIE ROBERTS, ABC NEWS : And our Presidents certainly do with Israel about settlements. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.
DONALDSON: What’s going on here?
O'REILLY: All right. Now, "Check" has no problem with Calderon's opinion. As we explained last week, he desperately needs the money illegal aliens send back to Mexico. But Calderon and Sam Donaldson, for that matter, should be honest about the issue, honest. Many Americans and aliens themselves have been victimized by illegal immigration. And it is the U.S. government's responsibility to stop that victimization, because it's happening on American soil. That's what this is all about.
