Fox News Sunday Downplays Fox's Role In Trump's British Wiretap Claim

Wallace Mentions A “Fox Report” Cited By Trump Without Noting Napolitano’s Role Or That Fox Has Said They Cannot Verify Claim

Written by Media Matters Staff

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Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace mentioned President Donald Trump pushing a claim that British intelligence wiretapped Trump on behalf of former President Barack Obama came from “a Fox report,” leaving out that the claim came specifically from Fox’s Andrew Napolitano and that Fox said it could not confirm the claim. Fox’s senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano originally made the claim based on the allegations of a discredited former CIA analyst. The claim was subsequently invoked by the Trump administration, and Trump said “you should be talking to Fox” in response to questions about the allegation. Fox anchor Shepard Smith subsequently said that “Fox News cannot confirm Judge Napolitano’s commentary,” which Wallace failed to mention. From the March 19 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox News Sunday:

CHRIS WALLACE (HOST): President Trump digs in on his claim he was surveilled by the Obama administration, just as German Chancellor Angela Merkel was, but Attorney General Sessions unable to give his boss any backup. And we're back now with the panel. Karl [Rove], not only is the president standing by his claim that he was wiretapped by his predecessor, but this week, and we saw there he swept the Germans into this, he swept the Brits into this with a White House report or citing a Fox report that they had done some spying for the Obama administration on President Trump. How big a deal is this continuing controversy and how disruptive to a president getting his agenda through Congress?