On the February 16 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage asserted that ABC News correspondent Diane Sawyer was “aiding and abetting” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a February 13 interview in which, Savage claimed, Sawyer had refused to challenge Ahmadinejad's statements denying the existence of the Holocaust. Savage said: “Here Diane Sawyer goes to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and does not once say to him, 'How could you deny the Holocaust? Here are the pictures of the 6 or 7 million Jews that Hitler killed. How dare you do this to the world?' ” Savage added: “So Diane Sawyer, in essence, is agreeing that the Holocaust didn't occur.” In fact, in her interview with Ahmadinejad, Sawyer stated, “I do not want to debate again the whole question of the Holocaust -- whether the Holocaust is a myth, which you have said,” but then asked: “Would you be willing to go to Auschwitz and see their documentation? You're a scientist. Would you be willing to look at the room with documentation?” When Ahmadinejad responded: “Do you think it would solve any problem?” Sawyer replied: “It would be information for you if you genuinely believe it's a myth.”
In the same broadcast, Savage played audio clips from the February 15 edition of ABC's Good Morning America in which Sawyer spoke in detail about her interview with Ahmadinejad. While discussing this interview, Savage said Sawyer was “disgusting” and “full of crap” and repeatedly called her a “lying whore,” a “prostitute,” and a “witch.” He added, “I stand by those words, and if you don't like it, sue me. Take me to a court of law for calling you a whore, because you are an intellectual prostitute for what you have done for ratings.”
The Savage Nation reaches more than 8 million listeners each week, according to Talkers Magazine, making it the third most-listened-to talk radio show in the nation, behind only The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show.
From the February 16 edition of Talk Radio Network's The Savage Nation:
SAVAGE: Diane Sawyer took a trip to Iran where she kissed the feet of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Oh my gosh, she's disgusting.
See, in my world, Diane Sawyer would have had her passport seized upon coming back to America. And the smirk would have been driven off her face as she was booked, the handcuffs on the back of her hands, for aiding and abetting the enemy, the Hitler of our time. She would have been fingerprinted and booked for sedition. Then we would have seen if she was still smirking giving her little speech. OK?
Here's Diane Sawyer goes to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and does not once say to him, “How could you deny the Holocaust? Here are the pictures of the 6 or 7 million Jews that Hitler killed. How dare you do this to the world?” So Dianne Sawyer, in essence, is agreeing that the Holocaust didn't occur. This is what ABC has become.
Listen to clip 13:
SAWYER: I understand that it's confusing sometimes what we do and why we're there, but even --
SAVAGE: Oh, shut up! Get the hag off! Oh, shut up! Get that hag off my show.
We're not confused by what you do, you witch. You witch, you. You think that you're better than all of us, that's what it is, Diane. You think we're confused by what we do and why we're there? We're not confused by the fact that you're a low-life witch who would do anything for ratings, including going over to the Hitler of our time.
You rotten, stinking witch -- I pray to God, I pray to God that one day, one day, you come to understand how low you have become, Diane Sawyer, what a low-life vermin you really are. Play that again, I want to hear the whole thing.
SAWYER: I understand that it's confusing sometimes what we do and why we're there, but even, even your adversaries have their own point of view, and how can you tackle this part of the world if you don't understand why they say --
SAVAGE: You lying whore.
SAWYER: -- they're doing what they're doing. Even --
SAVAGE: You lying whore.
SAWYER: -- can teach you something about why they are doing what they're doing.
SAVAGE: You lying whore, you.
SAWYER: And we are trying to bring back real information in this critical time for these people who live in that part of the world. It is so complicated.
SAVAGE: You're full of crap. Who do you think you're fooling? You're a liar, and the reason you gave this interview about that interview is because you realized what you have done. You're being told that the people hate your guts.
I don't know how this goes on in this country, that a witch, a whore like Diane Sawyer -- and I'm going to stick to those words -- to me she's a whore, she's a whore for selling out her intellect like this, whoring herself for ratings. She goes and visits the Hitler of our time, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, does not challenge him on one of his statements, not one, and she does it just for ratings. And she has the nerve to come back here and pretend that it's confusing on what we do and why we're there. Who do you think you're talking to? Even your adversaries have their own point of view.
So let's see if I can follow this. It's 1940, and you go visit Adolf Hitler, and people are already being assassinated and executed and worked to death in Nazi Germany, and you say that even your adversaries have their own point of view? And how can you tackle Germany if you don't even understand why they say what they're doing and why they're doing it?
Diane, all I can say to you is you're probably the lowest creature in American journalistic history. You're probably the lowest creature in the history of American journalism. Did you hear me, Diane Sawyer? I hope to God this gets to you because this is one man's opinion. But let me tell you, it's not only one man's opinion, it's tens of millions of Americans know that you're the lowest whore in the United States of America.
I stand by those words, and if you don't like it, sue me. Take me to a court of law for calling you a whore, because you are an intellectual prostitute for what you have done for ratings. You're lower than Anna Nicole Smith on her worst day. You're dumber than Paris Hilton. You're more shallow than Lindsay Lohan.
[...]
SAVAGE: I don't suppose Diane might have a Jewish friend or two in New York that would stand up to her. Anyone in New York City in the media who knows Diane Sawyer who may be of the Jewish faith, who might have an opportunity to say to her, “You've become lower than the lowest whore outside the Holland Tunnel in fishnet stockings at 3 in the morning, that you stink, lady”? And if ABC had a scintilla of decency, they'd fire her for what she just did.