Fox News Hosts Pile On Romney After His Vote To Convict Trump

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Fox News host Tucker Carlson discusses 'Populism and the Right' during the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. Carlson ... WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Fox News host Tucker Carlson discusses 'Populism and the Right' during the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. Carlson talked about a large variety of topics including dropping testosterone levels, increasing rates of suicide, unemployment, drug addiction and social hierarchy at the summit, which had the theme 'The Case for the American Experiment.' (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Mitt Romney is not in the foxhole.

In the hours following Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-UT) vote to convict President Trump in the Senate impeachment trial, Fox News hosts and figures wasted no time reacting to the lone Republican’s “guilty” vote with disdain.

On Wednesday night, Fox Business host Lou Dobbs went Biblical by arguing that “Romney is going to be associated with Judas, Brutus, Benedict Arnold forever when he is not even a footnote in a footnote otherwise because of his betrayal.”

Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson also ripped into Romney’s vote Wednesday night, but refused to even name the Utah senator while doing so.

“A lone Republican, as you may have read, defected and joined the Democrats,” Carlson said, clearly referring to Romney. “That senator shall go unnamed on this show on the grounds that silly moral preening should not be rewarded with the publicity it is designed to garner.”

Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham, for her part, called Romney “the ultimate selfish, preening, self-centered politician” who “has good hair” and “a sort of okay singing voice.”

Ingraham then railed against Romney for “desperately” wanting to be Trump’s secretary of state and casting “this futile, pointless vote to convict him in order to show that he is a man of principle, unlike all these other Republicans.”

Sean Hannity jumped on the bandwagon, calling Romney a “diminished figure” and saying that “clearly, losing a presidential election ruins people.”

“I know a lot of you especially in Utah and around the country are mad at Mitt tonight. You have every right to be as far as I’m concerned. Frankly, it is sad,” Hannity said. “Mitt Romney is now a diminished figure. Clearly, losing a presidential election ruins people. You don’t believe me? Look at Al gore, look at Hillary Clinton. And even to some extent I would argue John McCain.”

Hannity added that although he likes Romney and doesn’t regret “fighting hard for him in 2012,” the Utah senator “clearly cannot accept and get over the fact that he lost.” Hannity contrasted Trump with Romney, saying that the President was “tough enough to win.”

The morning after Romney cast his vote to convict Trump, “Fox and Friends” hosts kept up the momentum with co-host Steve Doocy calling him “the Democrats’ favorite Republican.” Brian Kilmeade took aim at Romney saying that his Mormon faith factored into his decision.

“Please don’t bring religion — you are not bringing it into it. For him to bring religion into this has nothing to do with religion,” Kilmeade said. “My faith makes me do this? Are you kidding? What about your faith in this case meld together? I mean, that is unbelievable for him to bring religion into this, his faith. We already know how he felt.”

After Doocy said that he thinks “a lot of people are guided by their faith,” Kilmeade responded that what Romney said was “totally insincere.”

“My faith makes me want to convict Donald Trump when two years ago you already said he was unworthy for the office?” Kilmeade said. “This was just an opportunity to prove it. That’s all it was for Mitt Romney.”

Within the hour of Romney’s vote, Fox News host of “Life, Liberty, and Levin” Mark Levin also criticized the Utah senator by saying in a Wednesday afternoon tweet that Romney will not be seen as “a courageous lone voice.”

Not all Fox News figures were on the same page regarding Romney’s vote, however.

Fox News correspondent-at-large Geraldo Rivera defected from the chorus in a Thursday morning tweet, which appeared to jab at Dobbs’ Wednesday evening comment comparing Romney to Judas, Brutus and Benedict Arnold.

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Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for imkmu3 imkmu3 says:

    Romney really got under their skin, didn’t he?

  2. Karma Rush Limpballs has been silenced

  3. Avatar for spin spin says:

    Yup, the Nazi press is on the case.

    Anyone notice that three most messed up “democracies” are England (and I mean england, not Scotland), the USA, and Australia? All have power held by a minority supported by… the Rupurt Murdoch Press…

    One man, so much evil…

  4. Avatar for mames5 mames5 says:

    Looks like the word “preening” was in the talking points sent out to the whole email registry.

  5. Avatar for noonm noonm says:

    Kilmeade said. “My faith makes me do this? Are you kidding? What about your faith in this case meld together? I mean, that is unbelievable for him to bring religion into this, his faith. We already know how he felt.”

    Trumpers not happy when religious belief is used as an argument against Trump. Good to know their commitment to the first amendment ends at Trump.

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