On Fox & Friends, Corsi contradicted his own book with another false claim

During the August 5 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, Fox News contributor Bob Beckel said to Jerome Corsi, author of the recently released book The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality: "This book is full of innuendos, misstatements, lies. He says -- Mr. Corsi says, 'It's 300 pages, 600 footnotes, and I stand by every statement in this book.' Let me see if you stand by some of these statements, Doctor: 'Obama never revealed if or when he stopped using drugs.' That's a lie. The truth is that he said in his own book Dreams From My Father that he stopped when he got into college." As Media Matters for America documented, a July 30 WorldNetDaily.com article about author Jerome Corsi's forthcoming book, The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality (Threshold Editions), asserted that the book "points out" that "Barack Obama admitted using drugs in his autobiography but never revealed if or when he stopped." In his book, Corsi falsely claimed that "Obama has yet to answer" the question of whether "he stopped using marijuana and cocaine completely in college." But on Fox & Friends, Corsi contradicted his book's false claim by making another false claim, saying, "He fully admitted his drug use, both marijuana and cocaine. He says it continued through college."

In fact, Obama did not "say[] it continued through college"; he wrote in his memoir, Dreams From My Father (Crown, 1995), that he "stopped getting high" shortly after moving to New York City to attend Columbia University as an undergraduate, following two years at Occidental College.

During a subsequent discussion, Beckel said to Corsi, "You said that Barack Obama supported a bill that allowed mothers to kill their babies even after they were born. Now, were they gonna use knives, guns, or how were they gonna do that? And do you actually believe that to be true?" Corsi responded, "Well, it's true," and asserted that "Obama, on the floor of the Illinois state Senate, said that woman had an absolute right to abortion, to kill the baby even if it survived that abortion." In fact, during the floor debate on the bill Corsi was discussing -- which opponents said was unnecessary, as the Illinois criminal code unequivocally prohibits killing children, and said that it posed a threat to abortion rights -- Obama never said any such thing, as Media Matters noted in response to similar false claims by Corsi in several media appearances.

Beckel later brought up several controversial comments by Corsi: "Can I give you a couple other Corsi comments just so that people can understand the person writing this book? Corsi on Muslims: 'Ragheads are boy-bumpers and clearly are woman-haters.' " Beckel further said, "Corsi on -- you called 'John Effing Commie Kerry. He married Teresa then he became a Jew.' You say about Hillary Clinton, 'Fat Hog' Clinton." Later in the discussion, Beckel asked Corsi, "How long ago was, 'Anybody asked Hillary why she couldn't stop B.J. Bill being satisfied? She's a lesbo.' When did you say that?" Corsi responded, "Bob, I never defend these comments. They're ancient history," and claimed, "Ad hominem attacks on me are a fairly low way of trying to get to the substance of what I'm saying." Beckel later stated, "Doctor, I have looked through a good part of your book. All I can tell you is, you say you have 600 sources. Most of those sources are people who have right-wing agendas who are against Barack Obama." Beckel also said to Corsi: "[I]f you're holding yourself out here to be an expert on Barack Obama and say the kinds of things you've said, you have to understand why some of us question not only your standing, not only the accuracy of your book, but also your history."

From the August 5 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

BECKEL: Mr. Corsi, with all due respect, usually I'm fairly lighthearted on this early morning show, which -- I love this show, Mr. Corsi, but I tell you, not this morning. This book is full of innuendos, misstatements, lies. He says -- Mr. Corsi says, "It's 300 pages, 600 footnotes, and I stand by every statement in this book." Let me see if you stand by some of these statements, Doctor: "Obama never revealed if or when he stopped using drugs." That's a lie. The truth is that he said in his own book Dreams From My Father that he stopped when he got into college. You want to respond to that?

CORSI: Well, Greg, we have Barack Obama's testimony on that. What additional proof do we have? I mean, there's no indication that --

BECKEL: What proof do we have when you stopped using drugs? I mean, what does that mean? That's ridiculous.

CORSI: Well, I mean, look, I'm not running for president. Barack Obama is. He fully admitted his drug use, both marijuana and cocaine. He says it continued through college. He began it in high school.

BECKEL: He did not say it continued through college. That is just absolutely wrong --

CORSI: Yes, he does. I'm sorry, Mr. Beckel --

BECKEL: That is absolutely wrong.

CORSI: He does. He said at Occidental College, he was continuing drugs. It's in the first discussion of his Occidental College days.

BRIAN KILMEADE (co-host): OK, besides the drugs --

BECKEL: Yeah, let me -- hold it, one more second. You said Malcolm X was his mentor in college. Malcolm X was dead 15 years when he got to college. What's the truth about that?

CORSI: Well, obviously, he read Malcolm X. He has extensive --

BECKEL: Oh, I see. He read it. I got it.

CORSI: Well, that's probably good enough. He had extensive discussions --

BECKEL: Oh, oh.

CORSI: -- of Malcolm X in his autobiography. It goes page after page. He said Malcolm X was the person he resonated with more than any other African-American author that he read.

GRETCHEN CARLSON (co-host): But Mr. Corsi, you believe --

BECKEL: Did you ever read anything by Hitler or anything like that, Doctor?

CORSI: They didn't resonate with me, and I never said --

BECKEL: Oh, I see, I see.

CORSI: -- in anything that -- Obama goes on --

BECKEL: And you know it resonated with Obama.

CORSI: Well, he said so. Just read his autobiography. He says that -- what he says is --

BECKEL: I've read his autobiography, and I don't think you have.

CORSI: Oh, no, I'm sorry. I about memorized his autobiography. And he says it --

BECKEL: Oh, really?

CORSI: -- explicitly, he says directly that Malcolm X was the mentor that he resonated with most in reading.

[...]

BECKEL: I know I don't have much time here. Let me just make a couple other points you make in this book. You said that Barack Obama supported a bill that allowed mothers to kill their babies even after they were born. Now, were they gonna use knives, guns, or how were they gonna do that? And do you actually believe that to be true?

CORSI: Well, it's true. Take a look --

BECKEL: Oh, come on.

CORSI: Well, Bob, I quoted him from the Illinois Senate floor. This was a case of a baby that survived an abortion attempt late term, forced-labor abortion. And the nurse, who is very famous out in Illinois, held this baby for 45 minutes, took it from the linen closet, the baby had Down syndrome, until the baby died.

BECKEL: The baby died --

CORSI: And Obama, on the floor of the Illinois state Senate, said that woman had an absolute right to abortion, to kill the baby even if it survived that abortion.

BECKEL: That is blatantly untrue.

CORSI: Well, you haven't looked at the case. I'm sorry.

BECKEL: Can I give you a couple other Corsi comments just so that people can understand the person writing this book? Corsi on Muslims: "Ragheads are boy-bumpers and clearly are woman-haters." Corsi's --

CORSI: Well, you know, Bob, why don't you talk about the apologies that I gave?

BECKEL: Just a second, just a second. I've listened to you, Doctor Corsi.

CORSI: You can go ahead -- talk about the apologies --

BECKEL: Corsi on -- you called "John Effing Commie Kerry. He married Teresa then he became a Jew." You say about Hillary Clinton, "Fat Hog" Clinton. Quote, "Anybody ask why" --

CORSI: Bob, those are old comments, Bob.

KILMEADE: Bob, let's just stick -- Bob, let's stick to this book.

CORSI: Bob, those are old comments, long ago apologized for.

BECKEL: Did you make those comments? Did you make those comments?

CORSI: Bob, you're going back to things that are ancient. I've already --

BECKEL: You know, anybody who'd make those comments -- listen, I wish you well, because you need some help.

CORSI: Well, Bob, look. If you -- you know, those are old comments. Why don't you go to the apologies for them? I said I wouldn't write anything that used anything extreme or impolitical speech. I haven't done that since those comments. Those comments have been long ago apologized for. You are going back to ancient history without talking about the apology.

BECKEL: Excuse me, Doctor. How long ago was, "Anybody asked Hillary why she couldn't stop B.J. Bill being satisfied? She's a lesbo." When did you say that?

CORSI: Bob, I never defend these comments.

KILMEADE: Bob, Bob, let's talk about this book.

CORSI: They're ancient history.

KILMEADE: Can we talk about this book? Let's just talk about this book in particular. What's the one thing that you think Bob doesn't even know about Barack Obama?

CORSI: Well, I don't think Bob appreciates how extremely leftist Obama is. And by the way, attacking me does not answer the arguments in this book. Ad hominem attacks on me are a fairly low way of trying to get to the substance of what I'm saying.

KILMEADE: Bob --

CARLSON: But you understand why people may not -- I mean, why Bob would take issue with some of the things.

CORSI: Well, Bob ought to look at the apologies. He ought to look at the whole record and not just go back to the original charges as if they have not been answered.

ANDREW NAPOLITANO (co-host): Bob, we'll give you the last word, Bob.

BECKEL: Doctor, I have looked through a good part of your book. All I can tell you is, you say you have 600 sources. Most of those sources are people who have right-wing agendas who are against Barack Obama.

CORSI: It's not true.

BECKEL: I'm telling you, these are not ad hominem attacks. Ad hominem attacks are made up. These are things you did say, and I think -- you may have apologized for them, Doctor, and a lot of us have said things we wish we hadn't said. But frankly, if you're holding yourself out here to be an expert on Barack Obama and say the kinds of things you've said, you have to understand why some of us question not only your standing, not only the accuracy of your book, but also your history.

CORSI: Bob, this will be my fourth New York Times best-seller, hopefully, in the last four years. I've written eight books in the last two years, and you're going back to ancient history. I don't think that's fair.

KILMEADE: Jerome Corsi, the author of Obama Nation. Bob Beckel.

BECKEL: I'd love to talk to you again, Doctor Corsi.

CORSI: Anytime. I look forward to it.

KILMEADE: You know what? We'll do this again, because --

BECKEL: Any time, any place, anywhere.

CORSI: You got it.