On August 4, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said, “No organization in America enables terrorism as much as the ACLU [American Civil Liberties Union], period.” O'Reilly added that the organization was “putting your life in danger,” an assertion he said was “no exaggeration.” He then opined, “There's nothing we can do about it,” because the “ACLU operates within the law and uses the legal system to oppose the war on terror,” using “loony judges” who “give [the ACLU] power.” O'Reilly then promised to investigate the ACLU's donors in the coming weeks, because “the only thing we can do is hold people who raise and give money to the ACLU accountable” O'Reilly's promise to investigate the ACLU's donors echoed a comment he made earlier in the segment that “if the ACLU ever wants money, it should contact the Al Qaeda fund-raisers.”

The comments came after O'Reilly again highlighted recent ACLU positions that he opposes. Similarly, on The Radio Factor that day, O'Reilly said that “Osama bin Laden is probably sending a check to the ACLU. He loves them, 'cause it makes terrorism much harder to control.”

As Media Matters for America has noted, O'Reilly has previously branded the ACLU a "terrorist group" and "a fascist organization," and opined that “the ACLU and the judges who side with them are terror allies.” He has also said that “Hitler would be a card-carrying ACLU member. So would Stalin.”

From the "Talking Points Memo" segment of the August 4 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thank you for watching us tonight. Is the ACLU bin Laden's best ally? That is the subject of this evening's “Talking Points Memo.”

No surprise, a New York chapter of the ACLU is suing the police for searching bags in the subway system. We knew this would happen, because the ACLU has opposed nearly every anti-terror measure authorities have come up with since 9-11.

Here's how nuts this organization is. The ACLU opposes allowing the feds to have floating wiretaps that would monitor cell phone conversations of suspected terrorists. It opposes American civilians assisting the border patrol. You remember the ACLU went to Arizona to monitor the minutemen. It opposes profiling of suspected terrorists. It opposes military tribunals to try captured terrorists. It opposes coerced interrogations of captured terrorists. It has demanded that more pictures of Americans abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib be released, knowing that would help Al Qaeda recruitment.

The ACLU opposes the sharing of information about suspected terrorists and sued to stop New York state from participating in MATRIX, the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange.

“Talking Points” could go on and on, but you get the picture. If the ACLU ever wants money, it should contact the Al Qaeda fund-raisers. No organization in America enables terrorism as much as the ACLU, period. It is putting your life in danger. And that is no exaggeration.

Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it. No way to stop it. The ACLU operates within the law and uses the legal system to oppose the war on terror. And there are enough loony judges around to give that organization power, especially here in New York City and in San Francisco.

The only thing we can do is hold people who raise and give money to the ACLU accountable. In the weeks to come, The Factor will tell you who these people and organizations are, so you can decide whether or not you want to do business with them. There are many issues I struggle with on this program, trying to decide what's right and what's wrong so I can present a cogent analysis to you. But the ACLU's opposition to all anti-terror measures is not one of those issues. This is a dangerous organization. The evidence of that is overwhelming. And that's the memo.

From the August 4 broadcast of Westwood One's The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: So I don't understand -- this is what I don't understand, OK. The ACLU obviously has lost a lot of cachet. I mean, I would -- I would put the number at 80 percent of Americans, who pay attention, you know, a lot of people just don't know what's going on, but who pay attention, know how dangerous this organization is. It is the most dangerous organization in the country. There's no question.

You know Osama bin Laden is probably sending a check to the ACLU. He loves them, 'cause it makes terrorism much harder to control. It's very, very simple. If every proactive measure the government wants to take to protect you is challenged by a group, the group is sympathizing with the terrorists.