Fox & Friends in trouble again for a botched report

Politico calls on Fox & Friends to “retract/correct” its report on Scaramucci's financial disclosure form

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Fox & Friends falsely claimed that a financial disclosure form of incoming White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci was leaked to the press, even though the document in question was publicly available. Discussing a tweet Scaramucci sent promising to contact the FBI and Justice Department after his financial disclosure form was disclosed, co-host Steve Doocy said the form “had not been released to the public,” adding, “so somebody was leaking on him.” In fact, as Politico noted, the form “is publicly available upon request” but hadn’t “been previously reported.” The Politico reporter who wrote the story said her source was the Export-Import Bank, and Politico’s vice president of communications, Brad Dayspring, called out the show for its characterization of the form’s release and demanded it “retract/correct” its reporting. The latest misstatement from Fox & Friends comes as the show faces increased scrutiny for continually botching its reporting. From the July 27 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends:

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): Yesterday we had [White House Communications Director] Anthony Scaramucci on this program. He was talking about -- a little bit about how the administration was happy that apparently [Attorney General] Jeff Sessions is going to start going after some leakers. And then several hours after that, online, some of Mr. Scaramucci's personal financial information -- we knew he was a rich guy and he made a lot of money in the last year or so. And suddenly -- I think it was Politico came out and had his financial disclosure stuff, which had not been released to the public. So somebody was leaking on him.

AINSELY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): So he was on the receiving end of the leak.

DOOCY: Yes.

BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): So it was supposed to be at the end of the month that this was supposed to come out, he was supposed to have a background check, and if you wanted to go get a Freedom of Information request, act request, you can go find out if you need to know what Anthony Scaramucci was worth or making. Instead, this decides to come out, in order to, I guess, muddy the waters. And he says, “No problem. I have an offense for this.” He says this in last night in a tweet. “In light of the leak of my financial disclosure information, which is a felony, I will be contacting the FBI and the Justice Department” -- Senator Sessions, expect a call -- “#Swamp @Reince45.” So many people wonder does he think that [White House Chief of Staff] Reince Priebus leaked it?

AINSELY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): Is the leaker? Well many people are asking that. So, then he tweets out, “Wrong! Tweet was public notice to leakers that all senior administration officials are helping to end illegal leaks. @Reince45.” And he said that he is talking to the communications department throughout the White House with different communications people and making sure they’re on top of it as well. He said whoever is leaking this is going to get fired.

UPDATE: Fox & Friends issued an "update" on Twitter correcting Doocy's statement that the financial disclosure form “had not been released to the public”: 

Update: Scaramucci's financial disclosure is public. F&F did not say @politico committed a felony. We were citing his tweets.

— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) July 27, 2017