Fox News host Bill O’Reilly described the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the “chief propagandist” on Ebola and called on him to resign on Monday night’s “The O’Reilly Factor.”
O’Reilly also criticized Director Tom Frieden for refusing to come on his show.
“He will not because he is afraid,” O’Reilly said. “He knows that I know he’s not being candid. That he is spinning the situation and not being forthcoming about how the disease is being spread. Frieden should resign.”
Frieden has urged calm and emphasized that cutting off flights to the U.S. would be more detrimental than helpful in stemming the flow of Ebola. O’Reilly called Frieden’s statements “total garbage.”
O’Reilly called the government’s current policies for monitoring Ebola “stupid and irresponsible” and said they were putting “all Americans at risk.”
“It’s a dumb and dangerous ruse and Frieden is the chief propagandist. He knows better,” the Fox News host said. “We are simply not being told the truth.”
O’Reilly joined a long list of conservatives, including Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump and Rush Limbaugh, who have espoused alarmist views on Ebola and said the Obama administration has been deceptive about the outbreak.
Later, while hosting Fox News contributor Brit Hume, O’Reilly continued his scathing rant against Frieden and repeated his wish that Frieden resign.
“What do we want a puppet out there for?” O’Reilly shouted. “Resign. Have a little dignity, Frieden. Have a little dignity. You’re misleading the American public.”
Watch the first part of O’Reilly’s rant below, courtesy of Fox News:
h/t Mediaite
Second graph counts as a shallow grave buried lead…
When will the Fox News fake outrage stop? Boy am I glad I don’t watch that channel anymore. Only reason I know this stuff is because of sites like TPM.
What a self-involved, psychopath! Does he really believe that the CDC Director is thinking about him and what he knows? And why is it that the people who can’t wait to say, “I’m not a scientist” when it comes to climate change yet when it comes to Ebola they think they’re smarter than the actual scientists?
Why should the CDC Director accept the Fox News decision to scare people silly? Do we really want people to be in full O’Reilly panic mode?
Another day and another brain dead O’Reilly piece. Does O’Reilly pay for the publicity? If not, Josh should bill Fox.