Fox News host Bill O’Reilly had the opportunity Thursday night to confront South Carolina Democratic state Rep. Todd Rutherford about his suggestion earlier that day that Fox News is responsible for spreading the “hate speech” that led to the church shooting in Charleston.
During an appearance on CNN after the tragedy, Rutherford — who knew one of the nine victims, former state senator Rev. Clementa Pinckney, well — alleged that shooter Dylann Roof was influenced by “coded language” and rhetoric used on Fox News.
“He watches things like Fox News where they talk about things that they call news but they’re really not,” Rutherford said of Roof. “They use that coded language, they use hate speech, they talk about the president as if he’s not the president, they talk about churchgoers as if they’re not really churchgoers, and that’s what this young man acted on. That’s why you can walk into a church and treat people like animals.”
Unsurprisingly, O’Reilly took issue with the comment and invited Rutherford onto The O’Reilly Factor Thursday night to shed light on his claims.
“You going to stand by that?” the Fox News host wondered. “It’s disturbing — I know you’re upset and I know it’s an emotional day.”
“It is disturbing, but it’s disturbing to most African Americans to watch as Fox News continues to cover stories as to whether the president is truly the president, whether he was born in this country, whether his birth certificate is legitimate,” Rutherford responded.
“I don’t know anybody on this network who does that,” O’Reilly pressed. “No one, and I see everything here. But let me just ask you … you say that this Roof kid watches Fox News. Do you know that he watches Fox News?”
“No,” Rutherford responded. “I said, again, things like Fox News. And so, again, the rhetoric that he spoke in the church when he talk about black people raping white women … he didn’t make it up. He didn’t just generate that out of the sky.”
From there, the interview became a muddled mess of O’Reilly attempting to question Rutherford and the representative pressing on with his assertions.
“Are you going to stand there tonight and say that Fox News justifies brutal crimes against black Americans?” O’Reilly asked, finally getting a question through.
“That’s you saying that and you are again inflaming the rhetoric,” Rutherford accused. “You are exactly what I’m talking about.”
The South Carolina lawmaker again referenced the accusations made by some individuals that Obama is not a citizen of the United States.
“That was carried on your network — on Fox News — for years,” Rutherford claimed.
“It was carried on every network but it wasn’t endorsed by any responsible person,” O’Reilly replied as Rutherford continued his rant.
“I’ve got to say, I think Sen. Pinckney — I know you’re a good friend of his and I know you’re upset — but I don’t think he would have embraced that kind of rhetoric today, sir. I really don’t,” O’Reilly concluded the chaotic conversation.
Watch Rutherford’s remarks on CNN below.
H/T Mediaite
