O'Reilly fabricated new sinister links between Media Matters and other progressives

On the May 7 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly once again lobbed baseless attacks against Media Matters for America, this time purporting to find a nefarious link between Media Matters and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA). Responding to an email he said he had received from Kennedy's office, O'Reilly said: "[A] day after getting that email from Kennedy's office -- sent directly to us -- guess who puts out a press release? The far-left outfit Media Matters, pretty much duplicating everything Kennedy's office sent to us. So, obviously, Kennedy sent that thing to us and shot it over to Media Matters. Another example of how the left-wing machine is intruding on the most powerful politicians in the country." While Media Matters cites materials from a variety of entities as relevant, in this case, there was no "duplicat[ion]" of an email from Kennedy's office to O'Reilly. Rather, in the item, Media Matters debunked an assertion O'Reilly made on the May 1 edition of his program by providing transcript and video from the May 8, 2006, edition of The O'Reilly Factor and pointing to a 2006 fact sheet from Kennedy's office regarding immigration.

On the May 1 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly disputed Fox News contributor Kirsten Powers' account of a discussion the two had in 2006 about the provisions of the 2006 immigration bill sponsored by Kennedy and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). When Powers recalled, "I sat on this show and read a list to you of the bill of all the different things he [Kennedy] wanted to do," O'Reilly responded: "You're crazy." Media Matters documented with transcript and video that Powers did, in fact, attempt to list the security provisions in the Kennedy bill. On the May 8, 2006, edition of The O'Reilly Factor, Powers told O'Reilly that the Kennedy-McCain bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee included several provisions addressing border security: "They have tons of security on the border stuff. I can read it to you right now ... double border patrol, adds 12,000 more agents ... adds new technology ... construction of fences."

Despite acknowledging he was "wrong" about Kennedy's plan, O'Reilly accused Kennedy of coordinating with Media Matters. O'Reilly asserted: "The wording was almost exact in the email they sent us, and in the Media Matters press release. Exactly. Media Matters would have had to have gotten that letter, because that's how they cribbed it." Later, Powers said that it was not "strange" that the wording of Kennedy's letter to O'Reilly was similar to "what Media Matters wrote," saying "the language is basically what's on Kennedy's website." O'Reilly then accused Media Matters of disseminating "propaganda," to which Powers maintained: "Well, no, because it's part of the bill. I mean, there was a bill."

O'Reilly also devoted time during the May 7 editions of both his Fox News television program and his nationally syndicated radio show to discussing the supposed connection between financier and philanthropist George Soros -- whom he dubbed "Dr. Evil" on his television program -- and Media Matters. During his radio program, O'Reilly falsely asserted: "Now, we have told you, and we do it stair-stepping, how Soros has bought up a bunch of Internet smear sites, including Media Matters, that do his bidding." He later claimed: "He's [Soros] now using his wealth to try to buy the Democratic Party, set up an apparatus through MoveOn[.org], through Media Matters, through these other things, to basically target Democrats.

In the past two weeks, O'Reilly has made numerous and varying assertions about a link between Media Matters and Soros, and has even created a flowchart purporting to show a complex web of Soros organizations, all funding Media Matters. O'Reilly's May 7 assertion that Media Matters "has [been] bought up" by Soros is also false. As previously indicated, Media Matters has never received funding from Soros, either directly or indirectly.

From the May 7 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight. Hurricane Soros, getting stronger: That's the subject of this evening's "Talking Points Memo."

As we have been reporting for months, far-left billionaire George Soros is buying political influence in America in an unprecedented way. Soros is pouring tens of millions of dollars into far-left Internet sites and organizations designed to intimidate democratic politicians and advance his radical left agenda.

Up until yesterday, the Factor was pretty much alone in reporting about Soros, but in its Sunday edition, The New York Times ran an article entitled, "Anti-war Groups Use New Clout to Influence Democrats on Iraq."

While the article doesn't mention Soros by name, it does say that, every morning, a cluster of anti-war, mostly far-left, groups gather for a conference call with the Democratic leadership in Washington -- every morning.

At the center of this cluster is the notorious MoveOn organization, which has received at least $5 million from Soros himself and an unknown amount from organizations he funds. Doesn't take a James Carville to figure out that Soros now has direct access to the most powerful Democrats in the nation, and they had better listen up.

By the way, I want to compliment The New York Times for reporting it. Once again, "Talking Points" will pinpoint the big picture for you: One billionaire and his friends using the McCain-Feingold law and disenchantment over Iraq are attempting to call the shots within the Democratic Party and are making strong progress.

John Edwards pulled out of a debate sponsored by the Nevada Democratic Party and Fox News to curry favor with the Soros group. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson did the same. Both men have been treated very well by FNC, but neither can survive in the presidential race without the direct help of Soros.

Another, by the way: You didn't see any Republicans pulling out of the MSNBC debate, did you? Even though that network has moved sharply to the left. Most Americans have no idea who George Soros is, but he is one of the most feared men in the world. If Mike Myers didn't invent Dr. Evil, some might give Soros the moniker.

In 1992, Soros made a billion-dollar profit by selling the British pound short, badly damaging that country. In 1999, the president of China banned Soros from doing business in his country. In 2002, Soros was convicted of insider trading in France and fined $2.3 million.

Soros is so powerful that he can ruin most countries financially if he decides to attack their currency by selling it short. And now Soros has set his sights on the political landscape here in America. He has his character assassins lined up. He has MoveOn ready to move out. And he has direct access to the highest levels of our government.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is an urgent situation -- and that's the "Memo."

Now for the top story tonight -- somewhat related to the far left propaganda being dished daily by Soros-funded websites -- according to a new Rasmussen poll, 35 percent of American Democratic voters believe President Bush knew about the 9-11 attacks in advance and allowed them to happen. Thirty-five percent. Overall, 22 percent of American voters believe that madness.

[...]

O'REILLY: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Bill O'Reilly.

In the "Mondays with Michelle and Kirsten" segment tonight, an interesting situation. Last week, we debated whether Senator Edward Kennedy really wants strict border security since Kennedy and John McCain are heading up the immigration bill in the Senate.

Kirsten said Senator Kennedy is tough on border security. I was not convinced; nor was Michelle. A couple of days later, the Kennedy people sent us an email about the senator's border security positions, and Kirsten was right. Kirsten was right. They are much tougher than his previous plan. Kennedy now supports fencing but still not enough manpower, in my opinion.

But a day after getting that email from Kennedy's office -- sent directly to us -- guess who puts out a press release? The far-left outfit Media Matters, pretty much duplicating everything Kennedy's office sent to us. So, obviously, Kennedy sent that thing to us and shot it over to Media Matters. Another example of how the left-wing machine is intruding on the most powerful politicians in the country.

Joining us now with reaction: Kirsten Powers in New York and from Washington, Michelle Malkin.

I just think it's fascinating that Kennedy's people -- and we, of course, can have Kennedy on any time he wants. He doesn't come on the program, but, you know, I'll admit I was wrong. I didn't think -- his revised plan, much tougher than I thought it was.

But they basically, you know, shot it over, and then they gave it right to Media Matters. And the Media Matters people framed it as O'Reilly is a liar. He's a kook. He's this, that, and the other thing. Isn't that interesting to you?

MALKIN: It is, and I wouldn't be surprised whatever kind of coordination, if there even was that. You know, whether it's explicit or just the fact that these left-wing sites happen to be on the same ideological page as the mainstream Democratic leadership.

O'REILLY: No, it has to be. The word was too similar.

MALKIN: And I would warn very much, very strongly that, even though Kirsten may have been right on some of these points, the fact is that you cannot trust Media Matters or any of these connected left-wing sites as honest arbiters of the truth.

In fact, if you've been following the immigration debate closely, you know that there's actually no such thing as the Kennedy bill. Even though it was passed in the Senate, there was no House version that was passed along with it.

And in fact, all of the negotiations that are going right now between Kennedy's office, the White House, and some of the Republicans is all off the record. It's all behind closed doors. There's nothing on paper.

O'REILLY: OK. But his positions were stated to us, and they're tougher than they were. But I have to -- I just want everybody to be very, very definite on this. The wording was almost exact in the email they sent us, and in the Media Matters press release. Exactly.

Media Matters would have had to have gotten that letter, because that's how they cribbed it. What do you say?

POWERS: I'm just still in shock that you said I was right.

O'REILLY: When you're right it's so seldom I don't say that it much.

POWERS: I know.

O'REILLY: But I will admit that you were right. His position now is a lot tougher than it was, and I was not aware of it. As Michelle said, a lot of this going on behind closed doors, so I didn't know.

POWERS: OK. So, well, I mean, there was the McCain-Kennedy bill, which is I think what they were talking about. And I don't really find it to be that strange that it has the same language, because the language -- I did go and look at what Media Matters wrote because I knew we were going to be talking about this.

O'REILLY: Right.

POWERS: And the language is basically what's on Kennedy's website. And so the normal thing to do would be to go look at the transcripts and to look at what's on the website and compare them.

O'REILLY: But then that organization is taking stuff right from his website, issuing a press release that it's absolutely true.

POWERS: Assuming that what Kennedy's saying is true. Yes.

O'REILLY: They're just taking it -- they're just taking it and spitting it out with no -- you know, what is that? That's propaganda. If you take any politician's website and spit it out in a press release, it's propaganda.

POWERS: Well, no, because it's part of the bill. I mean, there was a bill.

O'REILLY: It's not part of the bill, because we haven't seen the revised bill.

POWERS: But the bill -- there was the bill that was the McCain-Kennedy bill. It was co-sponsored by Lieberman, by Brownback, by all these other people, and that's where they took it from.

O'REILLY: But there's another bill now, because that failed. All right, I'm bored with this already.

From the May 7 edition of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: All right. We've been telling you for months that a man named George Soros, a billionaire financier, is trying to hijack and take over the Democratic Party and is doing very well in his pursuit. Now, we were the only ones reporting the story up until Sunday, when on the front page of The New York Times -- and I was stunned when I saw it -- there was an article entitled "Anti-War Groups Use New Clout to Influence Democrats on Iraq," by Michael Luo, L-U-O. You ought to check this article out, NewYorkTimes.com.

Now, in the article, it says that a coalition of far-left groups every day, every day have a conference call with Democratic Party leaders. Every day. OK. Prominent among the group, by far the most powerful elephant in the room, is MoveOn.org. Funded directly by George Soros subsidiaries.

Now, we have told you, and we do it stair-stepping, how Soros has bought up a bunch of Internet smear sites, including Media Matters, that do his bidding. And the best example is the Senate race in Connecticut where Soros' money and far-left websites went in and got Ned Lamont nominated to be the Democrat [sic] candidate for the Senate. Whereupon Joseph Lieberman ran as an independent because he knew what was going on, he knew he had the people, and he won. Lieberman won. But not before Lieberman was slimed, was defamed, was slashed, was attacked on every level. And anyone who supported him in the Democratic Party was threatened, threatened by these websites, by these MoveOn people.

[...]

O'REILLY: Therefore, his Quantum investment firm makes gazillions of dollars, and he has wound up as being one of the most wealthy and powerful men in the world. He's now using his wealth to try to buy the Democratic Party, set up an apparatus through MoveOn, through Media Matters, through these other things, to basically target Democrats.

And what he says to them is, "Either you toe my far-left line" -- and remember, George Soros is as far left as you can go. He thinks America is the evil in the world. He wants euthanasia, unfettered abortion, legalized narcotics, one-world government, open borders. You don't get any further left than this man.

He says to the Democratic candidates, "Either you toe my line, or you don't get any money. Not gonna help you raise money through all my Internet," because that's where most of the money's raised now. OK. "And we're gonna slash you just like we did Lieberman."

[...]

O'REILLY: Now, this is off the chart, off the chart. This is Rosie O'Donnell, this is Sean Penn, this is the crazy, crazy fringe has now reached 35 percent of Democrats. Now, how do they do it? They do it through the entertainment media. The newspapers like The New York Times, things like that, they feel very uneasy about -- they know what's going on, which is why the Times actually ran that article. I was shocked they did. I was shocked they exposed what was going on. And I said, "Wow." And I -- it's to their credit, it's to their credit.

But the entertainment media is saturated by this stuff. Now, we gave you the pipeline. We'll put the map up again -- the chart, I should say -- up again on television where you see the money flow from Soros into MoveOn and into all these other organizations. And we're talking tens of millions of dollars here, ladies and gentlemen. We're talking bigger money than has ever been moved in any presidential campaign in the history of this country.

[...]

CALLER: I think we need to stop allowing MoveOn.org and Media Matters, these people that run these sites, to be anonymous. I think it's time we expose them by name and on your TV show --

O'REILLY: Yeah, I don't know. You know, I'm thinking about that, but they just -- they want that because they're preaching to a choir and the choir is not gonna lessen if they get more famous. So, you know, I just want you to know the apparatus, and I want you to know the guy behind it, and I want you to know who they're reaching.

Now, tonight on the Factor -- and you're gonna be very interested to see this, [caller] -- I'm gonna put up a letter that Ted Kennedy sent to us, to the Factor, and I'm gonna put alongside that letter a Media Matters press release. It's almost identical. So either Media Matters is stealing from Kennedy or Kennedy is stealing from Media Matters. One of the two. The wording is almost identical.

Now, once you get to that level of power in the Democratic Party, these people are players. And that's why I'm doing this reportage, so you know what's happening here. This is madness what is happening. And most Americans have no clue. I mean, you guys are way ahead of the curve listening to this program. But turn on some of the other right-wing shows. I mean, this isn't a right-wing show, but it is perceived to be conservative-leaning because I'm a traditionalist. But you turn on some of the other political conservative shows, and you will not hear any of this. All right. And everybody in America should know what's going on.