Fox News anchor apologizes for interrupting Newt Gingrich's anti-Semitic conspiracy theory
Written by Jason Campbell
Published
Fox anchor Harris Faulkner has apologized for halting contributor Newt Gingrich when he pushed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory involving billionaire philanthropist George Soros.
On the September 16 edition of Fox News’ Outnumbered, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich claimed the “number one problem” in various cities “is George Soros-elected, left-wing, anti-police, pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up.”
Soros, a Holocaust survivor, has been the consistent target of anti-Semitic attacks on Fox News, but when Gingrich mentioned him this week, he was rebuked by two Outnumbered co-hosts.
On the following day’s edition of Outnumbered, Faulkner apologized for the interruptions and said Gingrich is “beloved.”
There was widespread of condemnation of Gingrich following his bigoted tirade. Foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) Matt Duss called his comment anti-Semitic. National affairs correspondent for The Nation Jeet Heer said Gingrich was “playing with some very dangerous things” in his rant. And activist and author Amy Siskind called for Gingrich to apologize for his “anti-Semitic dog whistle.”
Fox has already had to apologize for a guest using the network to spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Soros. In December 2018, Fox Business apologized for Rep. Louie Gohmert’s (R-TX) on-air statement that “George Soros is supposed to be Jewish, but you wouldn’t know it from the damage he’s inflicted on Israel.” Additionally, former frequent guests lawyers Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing disappeared from Fox News after spreading an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Soros controlled the U.S. State Department. Now, a Fox host is apologizing to a guest that he was “interrupted” while he spread those same anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.