- New court documents reveal internal Fox News executives discussed Trump’s election fraud claims.
- In an email, chairman Rupert Murdoch said prime-time anchors acknowledged Biden’s victory.
- A joint statement “will go a long way to stopping the myth that Trump stole the election,” he wrote.
New court documents revealed in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News show how the network’s executives, including chairman Rupert Murdoch, privately identified its reporters as “too much.” to support the “Trump myth” of electoral fraud.
In a January 5, 2021 email sent to Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News, Murdoch wrote:
“It was suggested that our prime time three should be independent or together say something like ‘the election is over and Joe Biden won. We are all disappointed, but it happened. We love America and we need to turn the page . We are now the loyal opposition decrying every liberal mistake made by the new administration. Their declared domestic and foreign policies are at best, or worse, retreads of failed ones. Obama years. And first, let’s wear masks and come together to defeat the scourge of COVID.'”
He added: “Those are not words, but a refinement would go a long way to stop Trump’s myth that the election was stolen. And the basis of his 2024 campaign.”
Despite his private acknowledgment that Trump’s election fraud claims are a “myth,” Murdoch did not require his network to stop circulating the information, instead, he appeared surprised on why other networks are undermining the conservative outlet.
In another email to Scott, sent on January 21, 2021, Murdoch wrote: “Still getting mud thrown at us! Isn’t it undeniable that the high profile voices at Fox are feeding the story that the election stolen and that January 6th is an important moment with The result is overturned’? Maybe Sean and Lauren have gone overboard. It’s great that Sean told you that he was disappointed about Trump but what did he say to those viewer?”
In a statement to Insider, representatives for Fox said passages from the filing were taken “wildly out of context” in an attempt to “smear” the network.
“Thanks to today’s filings, Dominion has been caught again using multiple distortions and misinformation in its PR campaign to discredit FOX News and trample on free speech and press freedom,” a spokesperson for Fox said in an email to Insider. “We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes at the highest levels of our company is beyond the pale. ”
Murdoch acknowledged in an excerpt of the deposition — made public last week — that Fox News hosts publicly endorsed the “false notion of a stolen election,” while privately trashing Trump, he lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and recognized that Joe Biden won the presidency.
“They all know. From Rupert Murdoch to the producers of the show, they know what they’re saying is not true, that it’s a lie. Media Matters, said in an interview with Democracy Now, adding: “And I feel like, you know, the trail of evidence here is so overwhelming that I think Fox is in real legal trouble.”
Dominion Voting Systems is seeking $1.6 billion in damages over claims by Fox that the company helped rig the 2020 presidential election in favor of Biden.
Trump representatives did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.