Bill O’Reilly weighed in Thursday on former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s Wednesday exchange with Fox News panelists Melissa Francis and Marie Harf regarding George Soros’ funding of local district attorney candidates on “Outnumbered.”
“I’m not going to comment on the Fox News personnel there,” O’Reilly said before launching into a monologue in support of Gingrich’s assessment that, “the number one problem in almost all these cities is George Soros-elected, left-wing, anti-police, pro-criminal district attorneys who refuse to keep people locked up.” (RELATED: Newt Gingrich Says ‘George-Soros-Elected’ DA’s Responsible For Unrest)
Bill O’Reilly on Fox News’ Awkward George Soros Moment
“Soros is using his billions of dollars to undermine the justice system in the United States—and you can’t discuss that?” pic.twitter.com/yfGHfP2T6D
— No Spin News (@NoSpinNews) September 18, 2020
In the Wednesday exchange, “Outnumbered” co-host Melissa Francis responded to Gingrich’s assertion, saying “I’m not sure we need to bring George Soros into this,” she said.
Gingrich said, “why can’t we discuss the fact that millions of dollars he spent elected these people?”
Panelist Marie Harf interrupted the former Speaker. “No, he didn’t,” she said. “George Soros doesn’t need to be a part of this conversation.”
Awkward silence followed after Gingrich asked, “So, it’s verboten?”
“I’m going to tell you the truth right now, because Speaker Gingrich knows the truth,” said O’Reilly. “George Soros has donated $17 million to county races to get far left progressives into the district attorney’s office,” O’Reilly stated. “Now these are county races, so that’s an enormous amount of money,” O’Reilly continued, “Gingrich is absolutely correct… none of the people on the panel seemed to understand what Gingrich was talking about.”
Soros has given more than $8 million specifically to district attorney races from 2015 to 2017.
O’Reilly went on to connect the interaction to fears of anti-Semitism. “I think that’s a fair assessment, but the rule is if you invoke the name George Soros then you’re anti-Semitic because George Soros is Jewish,” O’Reilly said. “That’s what the ladies were responding to… [they] don’t want to be accused of being anti-Semitic.”
“Why are they buying into that?” O’Reilly asked. “This is a factual story. George Soros is using his billions of dollars to undermine the justice system in the United States,” he opined, “and, we have our stats to back it up and you can’t discuss that?”
“There’s something really, really wrong going on,” he concluded.
During Thursday’s program, “Outnumbered” co-host Harris Faulkner responded to the incident, saying it was “not smooth.” She acknowledged, “former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is beloved and needed to be allowed to speak with the openness and respect that this show is all about, was interrupted,” and went on to conclude that “we do not censor on this show.”