If you blinked, you probably missed Fox News’ coverage of a right-wing plot to bribe women to fabricate sexual harassment claims against Robert Mueller and you almost certainly missed the role of Jacob Wohl, son of frequent guest David Wohl.
In case you missed it, The Atlantic’s Natasha Bertrand has the story:
A company that appears to be run by a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist offered to pay women to make false claims against Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the days leading up to the midterm elections—and the special counsel’s office has asked the FBI to weigh in. “When we learned last week of allegations that women were offered money to make false claims about the Special Counsel, we immediately referred the matter to the FBI for investigation,” the Mueller spokesman Peter Carr told me in an email on Tuesday.
The man who approached the women is named Jack Burkman. The company he claimed to be working for is called Surefire Intelligence. It is apparently managed by Jacob Wohl. He’s a pro-Trump internet troll and right-wing conspiracy theorist but to Fox News viewers he might be better known as David Wohl’s son. David Wohl, a Trump-supporting attorney has been a frequent guest on Fox.
A search of FoxNews.com found very little on the Mueller scheme and nothing at all on Wohl.
I did find one article and a brief video report on the plot but neither mentioned Wohl. Instead, the article, by Fox reporter Brooke Singman, seemed to make an effort to legitimize both Burkman and the smear, while ignoring Wohl:
But reached for comment on Tuesday, Burkman told Fox News he does not know the woman who spoke with The Atlantic and has “never paid anyone to do such a thing.”
“This is very silly. It is Mueller doing the usual—trying to deflect from his own problems,” Burkman said, when asked for comment on the special counsel’s referral to the FBI.
However, Burkman told Fox News he is representing a woman who allegedly met Mueller in New York City in August 2010. He said the two were involved in an “intimate situation” when an alleged assault occurred. “I have a signed dossier from her,” Burkman claimed.
That same article includes a brief video report by Catherine Herridge which similarly suggests the smear is legit and that also ignores Wohl. Herridge, Fox’s “chief intelligence correspondent” displayed a willingness to regurgitate right-wing talking points but no effort to do any investigation.
HERRIDGE: Jack Burkman who describes himself on Twitter as a radio host doing conservative news and commentary has been singled out as one of the parties behind the alleged scheme. In a statement to FoxNews.com Tuesday, Burkman said he did not know the woman who spoke with reporters, including The Atlantic, who first broke the story. He said he has never paid anyone to do such a thing. Quote: “This is very silly. It is Mueller doing the usual – trying to deflect from his own problems.”
The FBI provided no further comment to Fox about the referral.
Watch Herridge overlook Wohl while providing plenty of spin for Burkman above, from the October 31, 2018 America’s Newsroom.
Crossposted at News Hounds.
We watch Fox so you don't have to!
