Amid Reports Bill O’Reilly Is Toast At Fox, Lawyer Claims ‘Smear Campaign’

** FILE ** In this Jan. 18, 2007 file photo, Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly appears on the Fox News show, "The O'Reilly Factor," in New York. (AP Photo/Jeff Christensen, file)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Amid reports Tuesday night that executives at Fox are discussing cutting ties with Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News host’s lawyer issued a statement claiming that O’Reilly is the the victim of a “smear campaign” from the “far-left.”

“Bill O’Reilly has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America. This law firm has uncovered evidence that the smear campaign is being orchestrated by far-left organizations bent on destroying O’Reilly for political and financial reasons,” O’Reilly’s lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, said in a statement Tuesday night. “That evidence will be put forth shortly, and it is irrefutable.”

The statement came as several outlets reported that it’s unlikely O’Reilly will return to his show at the network.

New York Magazine reported Tuesday afternoon that members of the Murdoch family have been fighting over whether O’Reilly should leave the network. The Murdochs are “leaning toward” announcing O’Reilly’s departure, per New York Magazine.

Tuesday evening, CNN reported that representatives for Fox and O’Reilly have begun discussing the host’s exit, citing a “well-placed source.” Sources close to O’Reilly denied this, but yet another source told CNN that it’s not likely O’Reilly will return to his primetime show on the network.

The Wall Street Journal later reported that Fox News is preparing to have O’Reilly leave the network, citing unnamed “people close to the situation.” A final decision on the host’s fate could come in the next few days, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Fox News declined to respond to several outlets when asked about O’Reilly’s status at the network on Tuesday.

O’Reilly went on a lengthy vacation following a New York Times report revealing that the host and Fox had settled multiple sexual harassment cases. The report prompted several advertisers to pull their ad buys from the show, putting pressure on the network to boot O’Reilly.

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Ok, it was me. I used botnets and tricked Russian Trumpniks into turning on O’Reilly. I even had a farm in Tajiskistan. It was a massive effort which cost hundreds of rubles.
    Where is my prize?

  2. Trump: Obama put Viagra in ObamaCare forcing OReilly to take it daily. What could OReilly do?

  3. Brutal character assasination huh? What, did someone call him “Tiller the baby killer”?

  4. That’s not character assassination, that’s character suicide.

  5. Dirty. Disgusting. Old. Lecher.
    Just explain to me in one sentence how his behavior has proven anything else.
    His favorite line - I settled to protect “the children”
    Yes Bill they need protecting from you
    They don’t even like you

    According to the opinion, the court’s four justices unanimously ruled in McPhilmy’s favor based upon “the clearly stated preferences of the children”:

    Viewing the totality of the circumstances, there is a sound and substantial basis for the Supreme Court’s determination that it is in the best interests of the children for the mother to be awarded primary residential custody. Particularly relevant in this case are the clearly stated preferences of the children, especially considering their age and maturity, and the quality of the home environment provided by the mother[.]
    

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

90 more replies

Participants

Avatar for paulw Avatar for austin_dave Avatar for josephebacon Avatar for daveminnj Avatar for richardinjax Avatar for charliee Avatar for imkmu3 Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for sniffit Avatar for sickneffintired Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for leeks Avatar for geofu54 Avatar for zrx1100 Avatar for darrtown Avatar for reggid Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for tena Avatar for beattycat Avatar for allan Avatar for corncaucus2008 Avatar for gregangelo Avatar for bashful Avatar for the_loan_arranger

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: