Fox News Media Networks has been called Trump television. Donald Trump watches it religiously, and he also uses it as his main source of information. Oh, sometimes they get into a lovers’ spat, especially when the network’s polls come out against the president. Still, Fox remains POTUS go-to place. It seems, though, that being friends with this commander-in-chief has its downside.
In a newly released batch of emails from the Treasury Department via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), people saw the dog-eat-dog competitiveness between the Fox News Media Networks.
A former Lou Dobbs’ Fox Business Network producer, Tony Sayegh., used the show’s 2017 ratings in an attempt to beat Maria Bartiromo’s morning show in obtaining an interview with Trump’s Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
This producer sent an email to the secretary’s spokesperson where he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter:
‘SECRETARY MNUCHIN NEXT WEEK YOU THINK? HE IS DOING MARIA BARTIROMO YOU KNOW — MUCH LOWER RATINGS THAN US AND I SAY THIS IN AN ENDEARING WAY.’
Then, the producer referred to Dobb’s ratings among Trump supporters in the email:
‘I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE HE IS REACHING ALL OF THE COMMUTERS FROM THE TRUMP TRAIN! :)’
Fox Business Network host David Asman wrote to Sayegh on April 25, 2017:
‘TAKE THE BIG TAX CUTS NOW…A LONG-TERM DEAL WITH SMALL CUTS IS USELESS. NOTHING IS PERMANENT IN WASHINGTON. BIG TAX CUTS NOW GIVE THE ECONOMY THE PUSH IT NEEDS.’
The Reporter showed that Fox News Bret Baier anchor of a Special Report show asked the president for special treatment. According to the nonprofit group, Democracy Forever, the emails indicated Baier asked Treasury officials to give his family and a family friend a special walk-through of the U.S. Mint. The department immediately agreed to his request.
The anchor told the former Treasury spokesperson:
‘IF IT DOESN’T WORK — DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT. MEANT TO REQUEST LAST WEEK. DON’T SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON IT. IF YOU CAN POINT US TO SOMEONE — AND IT’S EASY — GREAT. IF NOT — NO WORRIES. THANKS.’
A staffer sent out this email, according to The Talking Points Memo:
‘BRET BAIER IS ASKING TO HELP HIM GET HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY A MINT TOUR TOMORROW. WHO CAN HELP US DO THAT?’
These emails were reminiscent of the friendly back-and-forths between the former Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort. The now imprisoned Manafort had a close relationship with Fox Host Sean Hannity. The former campaign chair thanked Hannity for portraying Manafort’s criminal case in flattering terms.
Then, there was the Breitbart Economics Editor John Carney. He contacted Sayegh later on in that summer and asked for “a few good details” on the president’s tax policies. Carney said he needed them:
‘[T]O COUNTER STUFF MSM IS ALREADY CHURNING OUT TO ATTACK POTUS.’
Sayegh responded: “Will see what we can do.”
Looking through the other emails, it appeared that Fox News had a symbiotic relationship with the Trump administration. As such, they periodically reached out to the Treasury Department for assistance.
For example, the Dana Perino Show asked whether Mnuchin had any policies he particularly wanted to promote.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
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