Fox News Discussed Clinton And EpiPen Company Without Once Mentioning That She Just Condemned Them

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Fox Business contributor Liz Claman misleadingly suggested a spurious connection between Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Mylan, the pharmaceutical company under fire for raising the price of the EpiPen. She based her claim on a picture taken of Bill Clinton and the former CEO Robert Coury and a donation Mylan gave to the Clinton Foundation to aid the fight against HIV in 2009. Using the guise of other Clinton Foundation stories that have equally little merit, Claman says that the 2009 photograph and donation “on a completely unrelated HIV issue” led “Fox and Fox Business” to look into “the Clinton Foundation issue” as an aspect of the EpiPen price change. However, the segment failed to note Hillary Clinton's statement denouncing the price hike as outrageous and calling on Mylan to immediately drop its prices. Both are evidence against the right-wing media smear that the Clintons shield Clinton Foundation donors from scrutiny or give them special treatment.

SHANNON BREAM (CO-HOST): Well and you mention the name Hillary Clinton but now there are questions about if this company has links to the Clinton Foundation as well?

LIZ CLAMAN: Well, it appears that back I think in about 2009 -- I could be incorrect on the exact date there, Robert Coury, who was the then-CEO, actually was heading the company, he appeared in a photograph with Bill Clinton. He had made about a $100,000 to $250,000 donation to the Clinton Foundation on a completely unrelated HIV issue that they felt was really important that the Clinton Foundation was doing good work on. Okay, fine. But what you have is a PR problem that has now turned into a PR tsunami disaster because they simply raised the drug price of the EpiPen so much for no apparent reason. So now everybody is looking into -- Fox and Fox Business -- the Clinton Foundation issue, the tax aversion where they dodged taxes. Because they have a sparkling headquarters that was just built in 2014 in Pittsburgh. Really? Because we thought you moved to the Netherlands. All these questions now surface. And then they don't return our phone calls.