Fox News reporter John Roberts on Monday called Hillary Clinton, who has said her career as a politician is over, the “shadow President” in a Twitter argument with a former Obama administration spokesman.
Roberts, Fox News’ chief White House correspondent, leveled the epithet in an argument with Crooked Media co-founder and former Obama national security spokesman Tommy Vietor.
During President Donald Trump’s press conference with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Monday, Roberts asked the President about Clinton’s remarks about NFL players who kneel during the national anthem as an act of protest, and Trump’s own tweet expressing his hope that Clinton would campaign for President again.
I was recently asked if Crooked Hillary Clinton is going to run in 2020? My answer was, "I hope so!"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2017
“Oh, I hope Hillary runs. Is she going to run? I hope. Hillary, please run again. Go ahead,” Trump replied. Speaking about Clinton’s remarks on NFL protests, Trump said: “I think she’s wrong.”
Vietor called Roberts’ query to Trump a “stupid, clickbait question and a wasted opportunity to push him on real issues.”
Roberts fired back, citing the other two questions he asked during the press conference about tax reform and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, as well as his questions in previous White House briefings.
I had already asked 2 policy questions. I assume asking @HillaryClinton to comment on Trump/NFL was similarly stupidly clickbait-ish?
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 16, 2017
Lame. Try again
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 16, 2017
Let's see-I pointed out the healthcare exchange issue last week. And Puerto Rico problems the week before that. I'm the same guy who 1/2
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 16, 2017
2/2 used to interview Sen BO… But – @HillaryClinton has not yet left the stage-therefore what she says remains relevant to the discourse
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 16, 2017
And what epithet would you use to describe HRC weighing in on it?Don't engage in disingenuous claptrap. You know we cover all the big issues
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 16, 2017
He then referred to Clinton as a “shadow President.”
We'll have to agree to disagree. As long as HRC operates as a "shadow President", what she says carries relevance and weight.
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 16, 2017
Vietor criticized the epithet as Fox News “scare tactics” and a diversionary tactic from “Trump’s disastrous leadership.”
I would think someone as learned as you would have a grasp of British politics and the concept of a ‘shadow’ leader and cabinet
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 16, 2017
Perhaps you should broaden your horizons
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 16, 2017
Roberts went on to explain what he meant by calling Clinton a “shadow president,” a reference to opposition politicians in British politics.
Let me clear this up right now. Do I believe @HillaryClinton has created some sort of shadowy presidency? No. I was merely using a…..
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 17, 2017
British parliamentary term used to designate the opposition critic as a metaphor. HRC has become one of @realDonaldTrump ‘s most ……
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 17, 2017
…prominent critics. As the former standard-bearer of the Democratic Party (and winner of the popular vote), her statements carry….
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 17, 2017
…weight – and therefore are both newsworthy, and worthy of asking the President for his reaction.
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 17, 2017
In British politics, the Shadow Cabinet is formed from members of the opposition party and develops alternative policies to those pushed by the largest party, that in power.
Conservative pundits in the United States have used similar language to imply that there is a covert opposition movement working within the government to sabotage Trump’s presidency.
Fox News’ star host Sean Hannity, a member of the network’s non-news staff who has identified himself as a “talk host” and “not a journalist,” has alleged that “sinister forces” and an anti-Trump “deep state” are working to undermine Trump’s presidency.
Hannity’s claims echoed rhetoric that former White House press secretary Sean Spicer pushed from the official podium in March, when Spicer claimed there were “people that burrowed into government during the eight years of the last administration” who “continue to espouse the agenda of the previous administration.”
While members of the British Shadow Cabinet are active politicians and frequently members of Parliament, Clinton in September said her career “as an active politician” is over and said she is “done with being a candidate.”
“But I am not done with politics, because I literally believe that our country’s future is at stake,” Clinton added.
Hey, Roberts. When you join FoxNews, you give up the right to defend your journalistic integrity, since you have already given up any journalistic integrity you may have ever possessed when you decided to join FoxNews.
Like FOX News viewers would know anything about British Politics. Hell, they don’t know anything about AMERICAN Politics!
To them, the term “Shadow President” means; “That Ni(CLANG!) Dictator who was in office a while ago, you know, right after Bill Clinton! and he caused 9/11 too!, USA! USA! USA!”
Is that the guy always sitting in the front row chez Sarah ?
I think it is…
And re. his ‘clearing things up’ “If you are explaining, you are losing”
Even the FOX reporters know that Trump’s presidency isn’t going well. Trying to create some kind of new Hillary Clinton scandal must be all they have left to distract from the current chaos in both the GOP and Trump administration.
Vietor was right; trying to inject HRC into the fray of the NFL issue was nothing more than engaging in cheap clickbait that mostly has significance to the feral trumpers. And no, - she’s not even close to being a “shadow President” unfortunately. He even got that wrong.