>>> AS CONGRESS CONSIDERS THE
VERY REAL WORLD DAMAGE OF
ELECTION LIES ONE OF THE MOST
VOCAL MOUTHPIECES FOR DONALD
TRUMP AND HIS ELECTION
CONSPIRACIES, LOU DOBBS, JUST
SAW HIS SHOW CANCELED.
NOW, THIS STORY MATTERS FAR
BEYOND MEDIA.
DOBBS ACTUALLY HAD THE
HIGHEST-RATED SHOW ON FOX’S
BUSINESS CHANNEL.
HE WASN’T PLANNING TO LEAVE.
INDEED, THE MOVE WAS SO ABRUPT
NEITHER HE NOR HIS STAFF SHOWED
ANY AWARENESS THAT THURSDAY WAS
HIS LAST SHOW.
THIS NEWS BROKE GOING INTO THE
WEEKEND.
DOBBS WENT EVEN FARTHER THAN
MANY TRUMP LOYALISTS ON TV
PUSHING LIES THAT SUGGESTED
DONALD TRUMP DIDN’T LOSE THE
ELECTION AND DOBBS BROUGHT LEGAL
EXPOSURE ON HIMSELF AND FOX BY
PUSHING TRUMP-GIULIANI ATTACKS
ON A COMPANY THAT PROVIDES
REGULAR VOTING SOFTWARE, SMART
SMARTMATIC.
>> THE PRESIDENT DOESN’T WANT A
STATUE ERECTED TO HIM.
WHAT HE WANTS IS A FREE AND FAIR
ELECTION AND HONEST RESULTS.
AND IT’S BEING DENIED TO HIM.
>> THERE ARE LOTS OF OPINIONS
ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF THE
ELECTION, THE IRREGULARITIES OF
MAIL-IN VOTING, OF ELECTION
VOTING MACHINES AND VOTING
SOFTWARE.
ONE OF THE COMPANIES IS
SMARTMATIC.
>> IT WENT ON LIKE THAT.
AND THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH
MEANS YOU CAN ACTUALLY SAY AN
AWFUL LOT WITHOUT THE GOVERNMENT
CENSORING YOU.
FREE SPEECH DOES NOT MEAN THAT
THERE IS NO POSSIBLE COST FOR
LIBELLING OR DEFAMING PEOPLE.
AND DOBBS WAS RECENTLY NAMED IN
A MULTIBILLION-DOLLAR DEFAMATION
SUIT BROUGHT BY THAT VOTING
COMPANY AGAINST FOX.
TWO OTHER HOSTS ARE ALSO NAMED.
THEY’RE STILL ON THE AIR.
NOW, SOME DOBBS CRITICS SEE THIS
AS A METHOD OF LAWFUL
ACCOUNTABILITY.
FOX IS SAYING THIS IS ALL PART
OF A BROADER PROGRAMMING
SHAKE-UP.
THERE ARE ALSO REPORTS THAT FOX
MAY HAVE SOURED ON DOBBS EVEN
BEFORE THIS LAWSUIT.
HE DOES HAVE A LONG-RUNNING
FLAIR FOR ECHOING EXTREME
FALSEHOODS AND CONSPIRACIES.
THERE’S NOTHING NEW ABOUT THAT.
>> THIS IS A WAR.
THIS IS A BATTLE FOR THE CONTROL
OF OUR GOVERNMENT.
>> THERE ARE REASONS AND OTHER
GROUNDS FOR SUSPICION THAT
LEFT-WING AGITATORS WERE IN THE
MOB AND MAY HAVE PLAYED SOME
ROLE.
>> MITCH McCONNELL, HE HAS A
SPECIAL PLACE RESERVED FOR HIM
SOMEWHERE FOR HIS ABSOLUTE
IGNORANCE AND HIS BETRAYAL OF
THE PRESIDENT.
>> PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYING HE
WOULD LIKE TO NAME THAT PARTY IF
HE INDEED DOES CREATE IT THE
PATRIOT PARTY.
NOW, PERSONALLY I THINK THAT’S
GOT A GREAT RING TO IT.
>> JOINING ME NOW IS "NEW YORK
TIMES" COLUMNIST MICHELLE
GOLDBERG.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> LOU DOBBS HAS A LONG, LONG
HISTORY.
I EMPHASIZE THIS IS NOT JUST A
STORY ABOUT MEDIA BECAUSE IT
RELATES TO SO MANY OTHER BIGGER
IMPORTANT REAL-WORLD EVENTS.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT IT MEANS
EVEN GIVEN THE CAVEAT I
MENTIONED, THAT THE REPORTING IS
STILL MIXED ON HOW BIG A ROLE
THE LAWSUIT PLAYED.
BUT THE NOTION THAT EVEN OVER
THERE THERE MIGHT BE A CEILING
THESE DAYS.
>> I THINK YOU’VE SEEN THIS WITH
OTHER RIGHT-WING MEDIA COMPANIES
AS WELL.
I MEAN, YOU SAW A WHOLE BUNCH OF
FAR RIGHT COMPANIES FOLD
IMMEDIATELY WHEN DOMINION
LAUNCHED ITS LAWSUIT.
YOU KNOW, JUST THESE ABJECT
TOTAL APOLOGIES.
AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT WHAT
THEY SAID WAS COMPLETELY
INDEFENSIBLE.
I DON’T THINK WE KNOW IF THAT’S
WHAT’S GOING ON AT FOX.
I MEAN, THERE ARE SORT OF MIXED
MESSAGES BECAUSE ON THE ONE HAND
THEY’VE JETTISONED LOU DOBBS BUT
THEY HAVE PROMOTED MARIA
BARTIROMO AND OTHER KIND OF
SHAMELESS CONSPIRACY THEORISTS.
SO IT’S NOT AS IF FOX NEWS IS
NOW GOING TO BECOME AN HONEST
AND RESPONSIBLE NEWS
ORGANIZATION.
BUT I DO THINK THE RAPIDITY WITH
WHICH YOU SEE RIGHT-WING MEDIA