Fox News twists itself into knots defending Trump against report that he tried to fire Mueller

Screenshot/Fox News

"Fox & Friends" hosts

• Fox News hosts shrugged off reports that President Donald Trump wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
• They repeated the president's assertion that the report was fake news.

In just over one minute on Friday morning, "Fox & Friends" dismissed a bombshell New York Times report that President Donald Trump ordered the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller last June, suggesting that Americans don't care whether the president potentially obstructed an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. 

The president called the report "fake news" on Friday morning. 

"Fake news, folks," Trump told reporters in Davos, Switzerland, where he is attending the World Economic Forum. "Fake news. A typical New York Times fake story."

The "Fox & Friends" hosts quoted the president, questioned the quality of The Times' sources, and suggested that the question of whether Trump did, in fact, pressure his aides to fire Mueller is important. 

"Speaking of typical New York Times, you look in the first paragraph, all of this reporting based on four people who are told of the matter," Pete Hegseth, one of the hosts, said, adding that the story "screams of a leak from the special counsel."

Ainsley Earhardt, another "Fox & Friends" host, moved from amused to frustrated, suggested the story is old - and fake - news and asked viewers whether they even care about the president's reported actions. 

"The president says it's fake news. That happened last June," Earhardt said. "It's something we have to tell you about because it is a headline on The New York Times. What do you think about that? Do you even care?"

Pivoting to the show's next segment, Earhardt said, "Something you probably do care about is immigration." 

On Thursday night, just after the Times story broke, Fox's other hosts also dismissed and even attempted to discredit the story. 

"At this hour, the New York Times is trying to distract you," Sean Hannity said.

"So, we have sources tonight just confirming to [Fox News reporter] Ed Henry that yeah, maybe Donald Trump wanted to fire the special counsel for conflict," Hannity continued. "Does he not have the right to raise those questions? You know, we'll deal with this tomorrow night."

Hannity then quickly cut to a police car chase in Arizona. 

Tucker Carlson, meanwhile, spent less than 30 seconds on the story, 

Watch the Hannity clip below: