Fox News’ determination to ‘move on’ from Donald Trump is further illuminated by a recent court document release from the dispute between the network and Dominion Voting Systems.
The document breach occurs while the network’s star lineup is going through a substantial transition. The most popular anchor on primetime cable news, Tucker Carlson, lost his job as host of the network’s main program, which aired at 8 p.m.
While Rupert Murdoch was said to be behind the decision, Fox News did not immediately offer an explanation for why the network opted to split ways with its top primetime personality.
The discrimination complaint that Abby Grossberg, the network’s dismissed producer, filed is a factor in Carlson’s departure, according to an earlier story by the L.A. Times.
“Murdoch is also said to be concerned over Carlson’s coverage of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in which the host has promoted the conspiracy theory that it was provoked by government agents,” the report continued.
Paul Ryan, the former Republican Speaker of the House, is a looming force in the background who has grown fairly prominent with Fox News’ upper management.
A court document from Dominion Voting System’s lawsuit against Fox News that was recently published claims that Ryan was a significant factor in the network’s decision to move on from Donald Trump.
The document, citing an exhibit, states that “As a Board Member, Ryan believed that the period immediately following the 2020 Presidential Election ‘was a pretty important inflection point, not just for the company Fox, but for the country and for the conservative movement itself,’ and shared this ‘view as a fiduciary’ with Rupert and Lachlan,”
The letter also stated that Ryan “told Rupert and Lachlan that Fox News should not be spreading conspiracy theories.”
Paul Ryan was actively involved in negotiations about how to deal with the consequences of the 2020 election, according to the court document.
We are entering a “truly bizarre phase of this where [Trump] has actually convinced himself of this farce and will do more bizarre things to delegitimize the election,” the court document reads. “On December 6, 2020, Paul Ryan texted Rupert and Lachlan, telling them, we are entering a truly bizarre phase of this where [Trump] has actually convinced himself of this farce and will do more bizarre things to delegitimize the election,” the legal document states. “I see this as a key inflection point for Fox, where the right thing and the smart business thing to do line up nicely.”
Since Donald Trump represents a “inflection point” for Fox News, it is clear that moving on from him would be the “smart business thing” to do. It was reaffirmed with more direct language.
“Paul Ryan also continued to discuss strategic direction with the Murdochs during this timeframe,” the court filing continues. “Ryan told Dias about his own conversation with Rupert and Lachlan, reporting he told them that this is a huge inflection point to keep Trump down and move on for the future of the conservative movement. Ryan added: Both Rupert and Lachlan agree fully. ‘The key is to execute our collective will.’ Ryan agreed it was his job as a Board member to weigh in because it was a strategic decision about what to do. Ryan was ‘hopeful that the events of January 6 were so shocking that it would help the conservative movement and Fox News move on from Donald Trump’.”
Despite the fact that Tucker Carlson’s firing was not included in the $787.5 million settlement Fox News agreed to pay to Dominion Voting Systems, the host’s coverage of the 2020 election almost certainly played a significant role in the decision to part ways with him. The investigation Carlson conducted into how the federal government was involved in the events of January 6 may have given the top brass the most cause for concern.
The Daily Beast claimed on Monday night that Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of Fox Corporation, and Suzanne Scott, the CEO of Fox News, were responsible for the cuts at Fox News.
The report states, “In Carlson’s case, it was Fox Corp CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott who made the call on Friday night to can him and his show, Confider has learned, thanks largely (and surprisingly) in part to vulgar comments he made about Sidney Powell, the right-wing lawyer behind many of the bonkers 2020 election lies pushed on Fox’s airwaves,”
According to the report, Tucker was already pissing off Fox management between his conspiracy-laden coverage of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, including the repeated and baseless targeting of Trump supporter Ray Epps as being an FBI agent who instigated the insurrection; a looming lawsuit from his former producer Abby Grossberg alleging a sexist work environment; and his disparaging remarks about Fox brass in documents made public,”
Dan Bongino, a contributor to Fox News, a well-liked guest, and the host of the program “Unfiltered,” was likewise unable to reach an agreement with Fox News last week on the renewal of his contract.
According to at least one well-known media analyst, Rupert Murdoch will remove Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro from Fox News as he seeks to become less “vulnerable” in the wake of the network’s almost $800 million defamation deal with Dominion Voting Systems. Fox News critic Dylan Byers predicted that both Bartiromo and Pirro will be fired from the network, according to a Radar web post from last week.
Even while longstanding veterans Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham are still present, Fox News’ decision to fire Tucker Carlson and Dan Bongino, two of the network’s most prominent conservative voices, signals a shift away from the pro-Trump base. It will be interesting to see if Fox News begins to distance itself from additional Trump supporters before the 2024 election.
In any case, Fox News is now without a prominent personality eager to challenge both the Republican establishment and the Democratic Party, leaving a huge gap in its primetime coverage. Although his presence on the network will be missed, his devoted audience is eager to see what Tucker Carlson does next.
The leaked court document can be read in full here.
The L.A. Times story is here.
Rephrased from: The Republic Brief By: Trump Knows
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