Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Fox News’ Cowardly Decision To Not Live Broadcast Thursday’s Bipartisan January 6th Committee Hearing
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the House Select Committee holding its first public hearing on the insurrection of January 6th and Fox News’ decision not to broadcast the hearing. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
Tomorrow evening, the House Select Committee will hold its first public hearings on the insurrection of January 6th. It will be a watershed moment for what has now been a ten-month investigation to uncover the truth of what happened on that terrible, terrible day in our nations’ history.
The American people need to see January 6th for what it was: a deliberate, organized, and violent attempt to reverse a free and fair election. It was a profane and grotesque assault upon American democracy. Worst of all, it was part of a larger effort from the hard right to erode our constitutional order from within.
Just a couple of days ago someone was arrested who said he was in 20 feet of me and was trying to get me as we left this chamber.
These hearings will be essential viewing: they are a direct look into the dark soul of the hard right, and every single American needs to know the truth of what happened that day. Every major broadcast and cable network will cover these proceedings live.
Every network except one, that is, Fox News.
In one of the most cowardly journalistic decisions in modern memory, Fox News—one of the main amplifiers of the Big Lie about January 6th and about the election—has stated they will not broadcast Thursday’s hearing.
After giving the likes of Tucker Carlson a blank check to spread conspiracy theories and white supremacist views night after night, it is beyond repugnant that Fox News refuses to cover an investigation into the deadliest attack on our democracy in modern history.
It is a disgusting and treacherous decision, one that will gravely harm our democracy, one that will deliberately conceal the truth from a large portion of the viewing public.
Let me say it once again: Fox News’ decision not to air live proceedings on January 6th is cowardly and is tantamount to hiding the truth from the American people.
Fox News has an obligation to report the facts of the January 6th investigation so their viewers can learn the truth, especially after Fox News was one on the main propagators of so many of the big lies. Are they a real news station? They don’t seem to be. I hope they reverse this awful decision.
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