O'Reilly falsely claimed he only "reported what groups" were calling Tiller
SUMMARY: Bill O'Reilly claimed of his previous references to George Tiller as "the baby killer": "I reported what groups were calling him. I reported accurately." In fact, O'Reilly himself has repeatedly referred to Tiller as "the baby killer."
On the June 2 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly read an email from a viewer who asked, regarding Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, who was shot to death on May 31, "Mr. O'Reilly, how can you be sure that reciting 'Tiller the baby killer' over and over again did not inflame the assassin?" O'Reilly responded, "The doctor was involved in a criminal case. I reported what groups were calling him. I reported accurately." Similarly, on the June 1 edition of his program, O'Reilly stated that Tiller was "nicknamed 'The Baby Killer' by pro-life groups." In fact, O'Reilly has not only "reported" on the term's usage by "pro-life groups," but also repeatedly referred to him as "the baby killer":
- On the May 15 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly stated that Kathleen Sebelius, who was then the governor of Kansas and is now secretary of health and human services, "is the most pro-abortion governor in the United States. Based upon Dr. Tiller, the baby killer in her state, and all of that. All right? So there's no doubt."
- On the May 11 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly said Sebelius "is pro-abortion. She wants the babies done for. This is -- she supported Tiller the baby killer out there."
- On the April 27 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly said that Sebelius "recently vetoed a bill that placed restrictions on late-term abortions in Kansas. The bill was introduced because of the notorious Tiller the baby killer case, where Dr. George Tiller destroys fetuses for just about any reason right up until the birth date for $5,000."
- On the April 3 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly said, "Tiller got acquitted in Kansas, Tiller the baby killer."
- On the March 27 edition of The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly stated: "Now, we have bad news to report, that Tiller the baby killer out in Kansas -- acquitted. Acquitted today of murdering babies. I wasn't in the courtroom. I didn't sit on the jury. But there's got to be a special place in hell for this guy."
From the June 2 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Brett Wezlaff, Des Plaines, Illinois. "Mr. O'Reilly, how can you be sure that reciting 'Tiller the baby killer' over and over again did not inflame the assassin?" The doctor was involved in a criminal case. I reported what groups were calling him. I reported accurately.
From the June 1 edition of The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: The 67-year-old Tiller had performed abortions for more than 35 years. The Washington Times estimates he destroyed about 60,000 fetuses, 60,000. According to the AP, Tiller performed more than 250 late-term abortions in 2003 alone. His income was estimated to be more than $1 million a year.
Right now, 36 states restrict late-term abortions, and there are only three clinics that perform them in the entire country. Medical consensus is that late-term abortions are rarely necessary because technology can now pinpoint major pregnancy problems much earlier than 21 weeks.
Thus, very few American doctors will perform the operation. None of that seemed to matter to Tiller, nicknamed "The Baby Killer" by pro-life groups who stated, "He was helping women" -- Tiller stated that.
From the May 15 edition of The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Look, here's my deal, Mr. [Michael] Lucien [Notre Dame student]. Barack Obama throughout his political career has enabled abortion. There's no doubt that he has. All right? He recently appointed Governor Sebelius to health and human services. Governor Sebelius is the most pro-abortion governor in the United States. Based upon Dr. Tiller, the baby killer in her state, and all of that. All right? So there's no doubt.
From May 11 edition of The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Do you have any idea as a woman why Barack Obama would be so -- and I'm using this word, and it could be a wrong word -- callous in the abortion realm? I mean, the guy puts Sebelius in as the health -- you can't get a more fanatically -- and that woman is pro-abortion. She wants the babies done for. This is -- she supported Tiller the baby killer out there. So, enough with her. But do you think that he's that radical left, Jamie?
From the April 27 edition of The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: "Check" three. Tomorrow, the Senate will debate whether Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius should be confirmed as the new secretary of health and human services.
"Check" would like to point out the governor recently vetoed a bill that placed restrictions on late-term abortions in Kansas. The bill was introduced because of the notorious Tiller the baby killer case, where Dr. George Tiller destroys fetuses for just about any reason right up until the birth date for $5,000.
There's no question Ms. Sebelius is one of the most pro-abortion politicians in America.
From the April 3 edition of The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Look, if I'm sitting there, and I'm going, OK, I got wiretaps that may not be smoking-gun wiretaps, but they're certainly incriminating wiretaps. And then I got a state witness turning his chief of staff, who, you know if they gave him, you know, a deal, they're not going to prosecute him because what are there, five others getting prosecuted? His brother and all his other --
GERALDO RIVERA (Fox News host): His brother, Rob.
O'REILLY: So this guy has turned. And he knows everything. So, come on, Geraldo. I mean --
RIVERA: Not necessarily.
O'REILLY: This guy's --
RIVERA: You just had an acquittal last week of the governor of Puerto Rico, who was one of nine defendants. The other eight turned, and the governor was still acquitted.
O'REILLY: So, well, you just --
RIVERA: So, you know, it can happen.
O'REILLY: Tiller got acquitted in Kansas, Tiller the baby killer. Churchill got acquitted, you know, Ward.
RIVERA: In a manner of speaking.
O'REILLY: It is disturbing. But let's -- look. [Former Gov. Rod] Blagojevich [D-IL] is a guy who -- I don't know if they could try this in Illinois.
On the March 27 edition of The O'Reilly Factor:
O'REILLY: Now, we have bad news to report, that Tiller the baby killer out in Kansas -- acquitted. Acquitted today of murdering babies. I wasn't in the courtroom. I didn't sit on the jury. But there's got to be a special place in hell for this guy.
GLENN BECK (Fox News host): You know, what amazes me is late-term abortions, I mean -- and especially partial-birth abortion -- there's never, ever been a case, ever --
O'REILLY: No. There's no case.
BECK: There's no case --
O'REILLY: That's right.
BECK: There's no case --
O'REILLY: Not with the technology they have today.
BECK: No.
O'REILLY: We all know that.
BillO is a lying sack of crap... a lying sack of crap... a lying, scheming, stinking, reeking pile of liquid crap!
If "some" groups were calling him this, why didn't you say so originally? If "some" groups were calling him this, why didn't you call for moderation and to address the issue logically and in a reasoned sane manner?
Instead, you took, or created the Tiller the Baby Killer name and ran with it. Now that he's dead, you're thinking maybe, just maybe if you hadn't done what you did almost 2 dozen times, he might still be alive?
Sure, you didn't pull the trigger, but spotlighting this doctor on your show, ambushing him with your cowardly producer, and splashing his name around, you don't think that this brought MORE attention to his work and his profession and his location?
Nice work jackmonkey. I hope his family files a civil suit against you and FoxNews, I think they have all the proof that they need that you could have contributed to his death.
What and EMOTIONAL, EMPETHETIC appeal from these hypocritical, self-righteous bastards who are constantly harping about the RULE OF LAW versus JUDICIAL ACTIVISM. They are such scumbags.
Imagine if our media was in this sorry condition 40 years ago, with people like O'Reilly pretending to present the news;
"Today, Martin Luther King Jr, the n*****r, was shot. That's just what people who hated him called him, I'm just reporting."
They've run several of his idiotic articles and in the first one I saw, he was advising people on keeping friends. It was both appalling and amusing...he came across as barely literate. He must have hired a ghost writer since then.
You are free to not have an abortion. Thank you.
Did any news personality demonize the military recruiter? I must have missed that. Nice anology. Lol.
You have no serious analogy here. We all condemn the killing of a soldier. Stop trivializing the issue of abortion. It merits a serious discussion, and you're treating it like a game.
I'm just asking.
It's pretty obvious that you're missing the "big picture".
While you moan away the "babies" you've CHOOSEN to forgot there is a living, breathing WOMAN behind each and every abortion. A WOMAN that has to make one of the hardest, most painful decision in life. There is no right or wrong CHOICE, just a difficult, painful, decision that she and she alone has to live with. And the LAST thing ANY WOMAN need is a bunch of self-righteousness individuals trying to make her decision for her, or tell she's wrong in whatever she decided to do.
He still did late term abourtions.
You're d*mn right he did late term abortion and there are countless women who are extremely grateful that he did.
I really hope that one day you and your wife DON'T find yourselves having to decide between your dreams of a healthy baby and the reality of a fatal or catastrophic abnormalities of your baby.
Maybe then you'll agree that NO ONE has a role in making your decision but you, your wife and family.
I would also like to add that Bill O'Leilly is a murderer. A murderer of the truth. And he may as well have pulled that trigger. He did incite violence with his careless and bombastic rhetoric. He's a bully and a coward deluxe.
I totally agree, murderering the truth is a terrible crime. Well put.
According to the Faux Noise Standard, one murder victim is vilified and his killer gets a pass (and maybe a job as an analyst for the network), and the other murder victims are American heros.
Seems to me that the double standard is (AGAIN), called out on Faux Noise. When one's only defense for an action is to try to compare apples to oranges, well, that's no defense at all.
My irony meter broke a long time ago trying to make logical sense of Bill-O's antics.
In a related issue, does anyone remember a court case a few years ago in which FOX was sued for making false statements during a news cast? They claimed that even as a news organization they have freedom of speech...and they won the case!
So...Billo was just reporting what others said, even though he is not a reporter, and even if his reporting was false it doesn't matter. I need to find my tin foil hat.
Oh, and fact-check it. He finds it harder to tell the truth than to lie.
Eat it, O'Reilly. Stop squirming like the snake you are.
Randy