Fox’s Gregg Jarrett found himself on the hot seat when he visited colleague Neil Cavuto’s Your World show to promote his Trump-adoring tome, “Witch Hunt.”
Cavuto began the interview by calling Fox contributor Jarrett “my friend” twice and said that his “great book” is “incredibly well researched.” If this book is anything like Jarrett's last book, it relies on misleading assertions and falsehoods.
Jarrett’s first comment told you pretty much everything you need to know about his latest output. "What’s offensive about the [Ukraine investigation] is that there's a complete deprivation of rights, of due process, secret hearings, witness intimidation. This is the sort of thing that's really anathema to our Constitutional principles that we cherish, fairness, and it is being trampled on here in the most recent, I think, version of the witch hunt."
Cavuto read a passage attacking the media coverage. It served as an opening for Jarrett to exploit. “Look, the facts, the evidence, and the law's available to them but none of them wanted to bother because they were driven by two things: hatred and bias," Jarrett accused. He claimed to have documented "54 pages of grossly reckless conduct and media malpractice." He boasted, "I name the journalists."
But before long, it was Jarrett who looked biased.
Cavuto again praised Jarrett’s work as "well researched" and documented “with great detail.’ Then he swooped in for the kill.
“It’s impressive,” Cavuto said about the book, “But do you fault the president for anything?"
After a few seconds and a giggle, Jarrett replied, "Well the president, I suppose, bears blame, as he will tell you, for appointing Jeff Sessions."
That didn’t wash. "But simple stuff, for saying I never sent payments to a former porn star when he did. To back and forth on payments to individuals. Do you think he's misrepresented himself?" Cavuto asked.
Jarrett claimed, “I don't know what payments you're talking about."
"Stormy Daniels," Cavuto said.
"No, the question wasn't what the president did, it’s actually what he didn't do," Jarrett responded.
"No, no he said he didn't do that," Cavuto pressed.
“Oh, to Stormy Daniels you're talking about," Jarrett said. He began to look uncomfortable.
“One of many,” Cavuto shot back. He praised Jarrett as “quite right” about the media “pile up” against Trump. But then Cavuto asked, "But does he do anything to contribute it?"
“Oh, he probably does to some extent," Jarrett admitted.
Cavuto moved on to Ukraine. Whether or not it’s an impeachable offense, Cavuto asked, "Is it proper for a sitting president of the United States to talk to a foreign leader about involving himself in a campaign?"
"Well, you're assuming he was doing it to influence the forthcoming campaign,” Jarrett said. He started talking like someone on Trump’s legal defense team. “If the president has reason to believe that a public office holder has conferred a benefit on a foreign government in exchange for something of personal value, that’s a crime, it’s a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It’s incumbent upon the president to say, ‘Hey Ukraine, look into this. We have reason to believe you have evidence. If you find it, turn it over to us.’ We have a treaty with that country.”
FACT CHECK: That’s not what happened according to the White House memo of the phone call. Trump asked the president of Ukraine to “do me a favor though” after the mention of military aid that Trump was blocking. Just yesterday, albeit after this interview aired, Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s acting chief of staff, publicly admitted there was a quid pro quo – before later claiming he had not said so.
Cavuto knew Jarrett’s answer was BS and he all but said so. "I know you're a great lawyer, Gregg, but does it not just look weird to you that he just survived the whole Mueller investigation and accusations that he was working with the Russians to fix the election, which was proven untrue, yet once again he potentially involves a leader of a sovereign nation in another U.S. election?"
Jarrett put forth a debunked conspiracy theory: "There was actually Ukrainian collusion involving the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton.”
Cavuto let that stand. But he pressed on the impropriety of the call. "Nothing in the transcript of that phone call would dissuade you to the view that in the very least that that was improper?"
In short, no. Jarrett said, "As to Joe Biden, I would say again he has every right to say if you have evidence of corruption please turn it over."
“Does it look bad to you?" Cavuto continued.
"It looks bad to Democrats,” Jarrett insisted, "Doesn't look bad to me," suggesting there's no daylight between him and Trump.
“We shall see,” Cavuto said.
As the segment ended, Cavuto told viewers, “I’m gonna have him back.”
“No, you won’t,” Jarrett said.
Watch it above, from the October 16, 2019 Your World.
Published with permission from News Hounds.
