Joe Lockhart, a political analyst for CNN and former White House press secretary for President Bill Clinton, blasted Fox News as a “corrupt enterprise” that does not do real journalism during Monday’s edition of “New Day.”
The panel was discussing whether it was a good idea for presidential contender Mayor Pete Buttigieg to appear in a town hall with Fox News.
“I think once he made the decision to go on, that was right. I’m with Elizabeth Warren on this though. I think that Fox News is a corrupt enterprise,” Lockhart said. “I think it is not a journalism company. It’s a company that was built by Roger Ailes in order to promote conservative Republican political ideas and in prime time, they spread the kind of disinformation that actually worked with the Russians to sow dissent in this country.”
“I think the Democrats should avoid going on because — like they should avoid being involved with any other corrupt enterprise,” he said.
[Related: ‘The View’ praises Buttigieg Fox News town hall, calls boycotters ‘ridiculous’]
During the town hall, Buttigieg criticized some of the opinion hosts on the network, like Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham. “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade hit back at Buttigieg on Monday.
“Number two, don’t hop on our channel and continue to put down the other hosts on the channel, or the channel. If you feel that negative about it, don’t come,” Kilmeade said. “Because for him to go out there and take shots at our prime-time lineup without going on our prime-time lineup shows, to me, absolutely no courage.”
Presidential candidates, Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have said they would not do a town hall with Fox News, in addition to the Democratic National Committee stating they would not host a primary debate with the network.
