John Locher/AP, Reuters
Side-by-side images of FOX News' Chris Wallace and President Donald Trump.
- A "Fox News Sunday" segment between host Chris Wallace and US Representative Steve Scalise was the target of the president's on Sunday, as he tweeted that Wallace was "nasty and obnoxious."
- President Donald Trump also said that Scalise "blew" Wallace "away," called the morning show "lowest rated (unless I'm on)," and suggested that the "dumb and unfair interview would never have happened in the @FoxNews past."
- Apart from congratulating Scalise, who stuck to the Trump administration talking points about the impeachment hearings, and suggested that Wallace "will never be his father" (Mike Wallace was an original "60 Minutes" correspondent for CBS), Trump also appears critical of Wallace snapping back at Scalise.
- Wallace told Scalise that he was "very badly" misrepresenting the impeachment witnesses' positions when Scalise referred to those who have testified so far as "Schiff's witnesses."
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The president bashed "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace on Twitter after a segment aired with Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise about the week's impeachment hearings.
".@SteveScalise blew the nasty & obnoxious Chris Wallace (will never be his father, Mike!) away on Chris's lowest rated (unless I'm on) morning show," President Donald Trump wrote. "This kind of dumb and unfair interview would never have happened in the @FoxNews past. Great job Steve!"
The tweet references Wallace's father, Mike Wallace, who was a longtime original correspondent for CBS' "60 Minutes" news program. Trump has been vocally critical of Fox News when segments air that paint him in a negative light in the past, and has recently been tweeting that the channel is "much different" than it used to be.
In August, Trump tweeted "We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn't working for us anymore!" and he has also said that he now prefers One America News, which runs flattering stories about the president.
This one in particular included back-and-forth between Wallace and Scalise on the latter's characterization of the Trump administration officials who have testified so far as "Schiff's witnesses."
Along with other Trump talking points that Scalise echoed in the interview, he attempted to connect the witnesses to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, but Wallace pushed back.
"Well, those were Schiff's witnesses," Scalise said, after Wallace said a number of people who listened in on Trump's July phone call with Ukraine's president were "immediately upset" by what Trump said.
"No sir, they're career foreign service officers and these are people who work in the Trump administration," Wallace said, noting that Vice President Mike Pence's aide Jennifer Williams said in her closed-door deposition, released Saturday, that the conversation was "innapropriate."
Trump also tweeted Sunday about Williams, writing "Tell Jennifer Williams, whoever that is, to read BOTH transcripts of the presidential calls, & see the just released ststement [sic] from Ukraine. Then she should meet with the other Never Trumpers, who I don't know & mostly never even heard of, & work out a better presidential attack!"
Photo by Mark Ralston-Pool/Getty Images
epublican presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Fox News anchor and moderator Chris Wallace after the third U.S. presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on October 19, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Wallace also suggested that the upcoming testimony of Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union who has knowledge of the Ukraine dealings at the heart of the impeachment inquiry into Trump , could "blow a hole" in Trump's defense.
"If Gordon Sondland, who met with the president a half dozen times this summer, testifies on Wednesday, 'Yep, the president said to me we're not releasing the aid until they announce they're gonna investigate the Bidens and Burisma, doesn't that blow a hole in the president's defense?" Wallace asked.
Scalise responded that Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky denied the quid pro quo and said that the two presidents were the only ones on the phone call - Wallace noted that a dozen people were listening in, too.
"The real bottom line is he got the money, Ukraine got the money," Scalise said, echoing GOP talking points.
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