Fox's idea of covering “both sides”: Jerry Brown “sick, cynical” because Meg Whitman hired an illegal immigrant
Written by Christine Schwen
Published
As we at Media Matters have relentlessly documented, Fox News proves practically every day they're not a news network, but a 24/7 political mouthpiece for the Republican party which is passionately devoted to electing conservative candidates. Today's example comes to us from Fox & Friends, where co-host Brian Kilmeade and Fox News contributor Peter Johnson Jr. bent so far backwards to defend Meg “hold employers accountable” Whitman's nine year employment of an illegal immigrant they nearly fell over.
First, a little background. In the race for California's next governor, Republican candidate Meg Whitman had campaigned heavily on immigration, notably stating that she wanted to "hold employers accountable" for hiring illegal immigrants. Then came the allegations that Whitman knowingly employed an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper for over nine years, only to fire her just before she began her campaign. Whitman claims she didn't know the woman was in the United States illegally, and that the allegations are politically motivated.
So, Kilmeade hosted Johnson Jr. to cover “both sides” of this housekeeper issue, noting that Brown “didn't waste any time attacking Whitman in their big debate.”
Johnson Jr. didn't waste anytime carrying water for Whitman, making sure to mention Whitman's claim that she didn't know the woman was illegal, and then decided that Democratic candidate Jerry Brown's behavior was “sick” and “cynical” because he pointed out that Whitman broke the law. He and Kilmeade then jumped all over Brown, claiming that he was the mayor of a “sanctuary city” and therefore had no right to talk about Whitman, and “he had the chance to eliminate sanctuary cities and he failed, he failed.” And, just for good measure, Kilmeade went for a little divisiveness, asking what they were doing having a Spanish debate “in America.”
So Brown is “sick” for pointing out Whitman hired an illegal immigrant despite calling for “accountability” for employers who do the same? Both sides indeed: