Chris Farrell, the director of investigations and research at Judicial Watch, the conservative activist group, will no longer appear as a guest on Fox News or Fox Business Network, a spokesperson for the networks confirmed to TPM Sunday.
The blacklisting followed the re-airing Saturday of a Thursday interview between Farrell and Fox Business Network’s Lou Dobbs. In the interview, a clip of which went viral Saturday after the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, Farrell described the State Department as “Soros-occupied” and said George Soros was indirectly paying migrants and asylum seekers traveling toward the U.S.-Mexico Border. The comment was widely seen as an anti-Semitic dog whistle.
Straight out of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Just moments ago, Lou Dobbs guest Chris Farrell (head of Judicial Watch) says Caravan is being funded/directed by the "Soros-occupied State Department". pic.twitter.com/QBSong7uk1
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 27, 2018
“We condemn the rhetoric by the guest on Lou Dobbs Tonight,” Fox Business Network’s senior vice president of programming, Gary Schreier, said in a statement shared with TPM Sunday. “This episode was a repeat which has now been pulled from all future airings.”
The Fox News spokesperson told TPM that Schreier had “confirmed Farrell will no longer be booked on FBN [Fox Business Network] or FNC [Fox News Channel].
Soros — the liberal philanthropist and donor, and a frequent target of right-wing conspiracy mongering and anti-Semitism — was the first of many critics of President Donald Trump’s to receive a pipe bomb in the mail in recent days; the bombs never exploded and their alleged sender, Cesar Sayoc, was arrested Friday.
Judicial Watch did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNN’s Oliver Darcy first reported the blacklisting Sunday. He pointed out separately that both Farrell and Dobbs have a history of vilifying Soros.
Of note: This is not the first time this particular guest has talked about the “Soros occupied” State Department. He made a similar comment earlier this year in May. pic.twitter.com/LQ3DI0cPRh
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 28, 2018
Here is some of @LouDobbs rhetoric on Soros. He calls him an “evil SOB” and “insidious.” He also promotes various Soros-related conspiracies. pic.twitter.com/vXgSVz9Xa7
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 28, 2018
They bar one nazi. Big deal. When they bar themselves from the human race call me.
Dobbs was not surprised about what the guest said. He had said it before. I think Lou Dobbs should be fired as well. What was said was less offensive than Megan Kelly’s blackface comment, particularly given the timing right after the Pittsburgh massacre.
This would be the demographic Farrell appeals to.
The old IJC, eh?
The real question is, why hasn’t Lou Dobbs been suspended? He did, after all, tweet the conspiracy theory that those pipe bombs were all just a left-wing hoax. When a major network anchor tries to push a conspiracy that downplays the attempted assassination of multiple people he should be boycotted. That was over the line even for FOX. At least Geraldo apologized. Dobbs is completely possessed by the Trump cult which is way worse than Scientology at this point.