Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly’s ongoing war of words with syndicated columnist George Will continued this week, as the TV host accused the author of waging “jihad” on the cable news giant.
O’Reilly’s remarks came as he tried once again to defend his new book, Killing Reagan, from Will and other critics who claim it’s thinly sourced, poorly written, and based entirely on debunked rumors and innuendo.
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“[Will has] written yet another dishonest hit piece on me. It’s so fallacious, I don’t even think the man has read the book. But you know what, George? I’m bored with it, I’m bored with it. So this is my last reply to you,” the cable host said.
“[Y]our elitist tone has never really been welcomed here in The Factor, as you know. And we believe that is a factor in your current jihad against us. As far as we’re concerned George, where there’s a Will, there’s no way. End of story,” O’Reilly said.
“Everything in Killing Reagan is true. Everything is documented. You, George, are jealous. You’re jealous of our success on television and in publishing. Your last book was a huge bomb, George. A catastrophe in the sales department. Only 28,000 copies sold. I might be jealous, too, with that kind of resume. So I really don’t blame you,” he added, channeling the boisterous spirit of Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
Killing Reagan posits that a failed assassination attempt in 1981 triggered Ronald Reagan’s mental decline. The book also alleges that Reagan’s cabinet conspired at one point to have him removed from office because he was no longer mentally fit for the job.
Will and other experts maintain that none of this is true and that O’Reilly concocted the story from thin air. Will has written two separate criticisms for the Washington Post, questioning Killing Reagan’s conspicuous lack of reliable sources. The conservative columnist has also noted that O’Reilly and his co-author, Martin Dugard, didn’t speak with anyone who knew or worked with Reagan prior to the book’s release.
Though he had plenty of direct criticism for Will, O’Reilly’s response this week ignored every other issue raised by the columnist and other Reagan experts, including historians Craig Shirley, Kiron K. Skinner, Paul Kengor and Steven F. Hayward.
O’Reilly has also accused his book’s critics of being “liars,” “hacks,” and part of a secret “cabal” that doesn’t want Americans to know the truth about Reagan’s legacy.
(h/t Mediaite)
