Newsweek Gets Second Story Wrong – About My ‘Hannity’ Appearance
What in the world is going on over at Newsweek?
For the second time in a week, the now online magazine has gotten a story wrong. The first time was the now infamous fairy tale that President Trump was going to be spending Thanksgiving tweeting and playing golf. In fact, he spent Thanksgiving with the troops in Afghanistan. The reporter who wrote the story has now been fired.
But there was also another story that was wrong – and I was the subject of that second story.
The night before Thanksgiving, I appeared on Sean Hannity’s TV show. One of the topics was the latest anti-Trump volley from the vehemently anti-Trump actor Robert De Niro. Newsweek wrote up my comments this way.
So far, so good. I did, in fact, say that.
But four paragraphs in, the facts start to go off the rails. Here’s that fourth paragraph:
“You mentioned Robert De Niro, I go back and forth trying to figure out whether Robert De Niro is a political turkey on the eve of Thanksgiving or whether, the superb actor he is, he’s secretly on President Trump’s payroll,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “He has no clue that when he goes out like this he’s actually helping the president.”
The problem? It says I “told Fox News host Sean Hannity.” Ahhh, no. Sean Hannity that fine night before Thanksgiving had taken the night off. The substitute host was Fox contributor and former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz. How anyone could watch the show and not understand this – with Jason identifying himself right at the top of the show – is mystifying.
The story went on. Saying this of me:
“He went on to mock De Niro over a recent lawsuit filed by his former assistant Graham Chase Robinson, who accused the actor of making ‘abusive and sexist comments’ toward her and said that he fostered a ‘hostile work environment.’ When announcing the suit to the press, Robinson made public a voicemail message the actor left her, during which he shouted, ‘How dare you f***ing disrespect me?’”
What’s wrong? In fact, I said none of that. It was said all right – but by one of the other guests, I was paired with that night. That would be Joe Concha, the media reporter for The Hill. Dr. Gina Loudon was also on the panel.
The Hannity panel segment that proves my point can, in fact, be seen right here.
Newsweek? You may want to watch and try a correction.
Jeffrey Lord, a contributing editor to The American Spectator, is a former aide to Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp. An author and former CNN commentator, he writes from Pennsylvania at jlpa1@aol.com.
