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Schumer, Jeffries rigidity Murdoch, Fox News over Trump’s flawed election fraud claims

Participants of Rise and Withstand take part in their weekly “Truth Tuesday” enlighten at News Corp headquarters on February 21, 2023 in Novel York City.

Michael M. Santiago | Getty Photos News | Getty Photos

Two high Democrats in Congress are calling on Fox Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch and the leadership of Fox News “to live spreading flawed election narratives and admit on the air that they were execrable to have interaction in such negligent habits.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Condo Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both Democrats from Novel York, sent a letter this week to Murdoch and Fox News leadership. The letter comes days after additional revelations in Dominion Vote casting Techniques‘ $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox Corp and its TV networks.

“As well-known for your deposition released the day before this present day Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and a form of Fox News personalities knowingly, yet again and yet again, and dangerously immediate and promoted the Tall Lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election,” the lawmakers wrote within the letter, which modified into once released Wednesday.

Trump has yet again and yet again unfold flawed claims that the election modified into once stolen from him. His attempts to rigidity a high respectable in Georgia to “safe” votes for him are the topic of a criminal probe in that affirm, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Earlier this week, Dominion filed court docket papers that revealed parts of the testimony from Murdoch and a form of high Fox Corp leadership. In his deposition, Murdoch acknowledged that some of Fox’s high TV hosts immediate flawed election fraud claims.

When Murdoch modified into once asked if he modified into once “now aware that Fox immediate now and then this flawed idea of a stolen election,” Murdoch answered, “No longer Fox, no. No longer Fox. However possibly Lou Dobbs, possibly Maria [Bartiromo] as commentators,” in response to court docket papers.

“Some of our commentators were endorsing it,” Murdoch talked about in his responses regarding election fraud throughout the deposition. “They immediate.” Murdoch and a form of high Fox executives also remained shut to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott throughout the election coverage, in response to the court docket papers.

A advisor for Fox didn’t without extend answer to query for comment.

On Monday, when the court docket papers were filed, a Fox News advisor talked about in a assertion that Dominion mischaracterized the info by cherry-picking soundbites: “When Dominion is no longer mischaracterizing the law, it is mischaracterizing the info.”

Dominion sued the moral-skim cable networks, Fox News and Fox Swap, and its parent firm, arguing the networks and its high anchors made flawed claims that Dominion’s voting machines rigged the outcomes of the 2020 election. Fox News has persistently denied that it knowingly made flawed claims in regards to the election.

In court docket papers filed in February, the parent firm talked about that the previous year of discovery has shown Fox Corp. performed “no role within the appearance and newsletter of the challenged statements – all of which aired on either Fox Swap Network or Fox News Channel.”

Murdoch and his son, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch, to boot to to Fox’s chief lawful and coverage officer Viet Dinh and Paul Ryan, the worn Republican speaker of the Condo and a Fox board member, have all been questioned in newest months.

The revelations that have advance out in court docket papers in newest weeks stem from months of discovery and depositions. Top Fox TV personalities, alongside side Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, also confronted questioning.

The faces of Fox News and Fox Swap also expressed disbelief in Sidney Powell, a talented-Trump lawyer who aggressively promoted claims of election fraud at the time, in response to court docket papers. Ryan talked about that “these conspiracy theories were baseless,” and that the network “have to quiet labor to dispel conspiracy theories if and when they pop up.”

The lawsuit has been closed watched by First Amendment watchdogs and experts. Libel proceedings in most cases focal point on one falsehood, however on this case Dominion cites a prolonged list of examples of Fox TV hosts ticket flawed claims even after they were confirmed to be faux. Media companies are in most cases broadly safe by the First Amendment. Fox News has talked about in earlier statements “the core of this case remains about freedom of the clicking and freedom of speech.”

A intention conference is slated for next week, while the trial is determined to start up in mid-April.

Read the letter under:

Dear Mr. Rupert Murdoch et al:

As well-known for your deposition released the day before this present day Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and a form of Fox News personalities knowingly, yet again and yet again, and dangerously immediate and promoted the Tall Lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election. Even supposing you would have acknowledged your feel sorry about in allowing this grave propaganda to happen, your network hosts proceed to promote, spew, and perpetuate election conspiracy theories to this show disguise day.

The leadership of your firm modified into once attentive to the dangers of broadcasting these abnormal claims. By your have memoir, Donald Trump’s election lies were “negative” and “in actuality crazy stuff.” Despite that surprising admission, Fox News hosts have persevered to peddle election denialism to the American folks.

This items a deadly precedent that ignores frequent journalistic truth-checking suggestions and public accountability. That is valuable extra alarming after Speaker McCarthy is reportedly allowing Tucker Carlson to study extremely soundless security digicam footage of the occasions surrounding the violent January 6 insurrection.

We question that you just teach Tucker Carlson and a form of hosts for your network to live spreading flawed election narratives and admit on the air that they were execrable to have interaction in such negligent habits.

As evidenced by the January 6 insurrection, spreading this flawed propaganda would possibly possibly no longer handiest embolden supporters of the Tall Lie to have interaction in additional acts of political violence, however also deeply and broadly weakens faith in our democracy and hurts our country in limitless a form of systems.

Fox News executives and all a form of hosts for your network have a transparent need. Which that it is possible you’ll possibly furthermore proceed a sample of lying to your viewers and risking democracy or dash beyond this negative chapter for your firm’s history by siding with the true fact and reporting the info. We request of that you just guarantee Fox News ceases disseminating the Tall Lie and a form of election conspiracy theories for your network.

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