Fox's Bret Baier Unaware That Fox Reported Russia Likely At Center Of DNC Hack

Fox And Cyber Experts Agree That Russia Is Likely Source Of Hack

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

Fox News host Bret Baier questioned Gov. Martin O'Malley for saying that the Russian government was involved in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), asking, “how do you know definitively that it is Russia?” Fox News' own Chief Intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge reported earlier the same day that a “former senior intelligence officer” “says evidence on hacked DNC servers points to” Russia. Several other media outlets also reported on the apparent link between Russia and the hack. From the July 26 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier: 

MARTIN O'MALLEY: With Donald Trump it becomes even more complicating, Bret, because of the Russian involvement in this campaign now. 

BRET BAIER (HOST):  How do you know definitively that it is Russia? 

O'MALLEY: Because, Bret, look. I come from the state of Maryland. You can't throw a dead cat in Maryland without hitting a cyber security company. And everyone knows this has all the fingerprints of the Russian government in hacking the DNC's mails. 

BAIER: Are you making that next jump that Russia is somehow backing Donald Trump to collude with the Trump campaign to go after Hillary Clinton? 

O'MALLEY: I think the Russians absolutely -- 

BAIER: Why wouldn't Russia go after Hillary Clinton's emails and bribe her over national security if she is going to be the next president? 

O'MALLEY: I believe that the reason Russians did this, and the reason why they did it when they did it is because Donald Trump is the only candidate in modern times to advocate the U.S. pulling back from our NATO commitment. And in fact, the first head of NATO was actually Dwight Eisenhower, a proud Republican in the old name of the Republican Party.