New York AG responds to Trump’s demands to drop civil fraud case against him
New York Attorney General Letitia James said she will not drop the civil fraud case against President-elect Donald Trump, arguing presidents are not immune from civil litigation.
Trump and his attorneys demanded that James drop her civil fraud case against him, his family and his businesses “for the greater good of the country” last month.
TRUMP DEMANDS NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES DROP CIVIL FRAUD CASE ‘FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF THE COUNTRY’
Trump was ordered to pay a $454 million civil fraud judgment in James’ lawsuit against him.
Trump has appealed the ruling, and judges on a New York appeals court seemed receptive to potentially reversing the judgment altogether.
The New York attorney general’s office on Tuesday said they are not going to take action to drop the case against the president-elect.
James’ office argued that presidents do not have immunity from civil litigation arising from unofficial conduct, and said lawsuits “may proceed while the president is in office.”
James’ office also argued that the final judgment does not impact any conduct Trump may undertake as president. They also said Trump’s inauguration is “irrelevant to the 14 other defendants found liable in our case.”
James’ office also said that they are now waiting for a decision on Trump’s appeal, and said waiting for that decision on the civil matter “does not in any way affect Trump’s ability to serve as president.”
President-elect Donald Trump just blew up Joe Biden’s pardon plan.
In an interview that was taped last Friday and aired on Sunday, Trump was asked by “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker whether he would seek retribution against his political enemies, including President Joe Biden. He insisted that vengeance is not his top priority; rather, he said, “I’m really looking to make our country successful.”
Poor President Biden; there goes his hopes of protecting himself and his family from possible prosecution. Let me explain.
BIDEN TEAM REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING PREEMPTIVE PARDONS FOR FAUCI, SCHIFF, OTHER TRUMP ‘TARGETS’
Top Democrats have reportedly encouraged the president to grant preemptive blanket pardons to a slew of Trump’s adversaries, including Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and former NIH Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, supposedly to protect them from his wrath. They suggest that the nominations of Kash Patel to head the FBI and Pam Bondi for attorney general endanger the former president’s political foes, and that Trump World is bent on vengeance. Democrat leaders want Biden to protect them with a wave of his pardon wand.
Issuing preemptive pardons is an offensive idea, but also so outlandish that it must be a smokescreen. My guess: Biden hopes to bury pardons of his family members among many others, hoping the public will be so outraged about pardoning, for instance, former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who participated in the J-6 Committee, they will not notice Jim or Hallie Biden on the list.
The president has already pardoned his son Hunter, getting him off the hook for misdeeds known and yet unknown. Why not extend the same protections to other family members who have been cited by the House Oversight Committee as pocketing money from Hunter’s activities? The more immunities granted, the fewer investigations and the safer Joe Biden himself will be.
REP. JAME COMER: BIDEN’S THREE BIGGEST LIES ABOUT HIS FAMILY’S SHADY BUSINESS DEALINGS
Politico, which broke the “blanket pardon” story a few days ago, reported that the proposal was being considered by aides to the president, but had not been condoned by Biden himself. This does not pass the smell test. It is inconceivable that such a controversial idea would be leaked without the president’s approval. Also, the piece notes that even though top Democrats are “lobbying” for a raft of pardons, the potential recipients are not party to the discussions.
They think we are that stupid.
Democrats assume that Trump and his appointees will use the Department of Justice to punish some of the perpetrators of the years-long attacks on him, because that’s what they have done. But here is the truth: Trump supporters – or at least this Trump supporter – don’t want vengeance. We want accountability.
Accountability for Russiagate, the elaborate hoax cooked up by Hillary Clinton’s campaign that undermined Donald Trump’s first four years in office. We want accountability for the DOJ giving Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton a slap on the wrist for their mishandling of classified documents (remember the boxes next to Joe’s Corvette and Hillary using BleachBit on her laptop?) but indicting Donald Trump for his.
AMY KLOBUCHAR ADMITS SHE’S ‘NOT A FAN’ OF BIDEN’S PARDONS: ‘VERY CONCERNED’
We want someone punished for the cover-up of Joe’s mental decline; punished for allowing a sniper to lie on a roof and almost kill Trump, for the disastrous pull-out from Afghanistan that cost 13 service members their lives, for tens of thousands of fentanyl deaths and for so much more.
In the past, Americans counted on an ambitious press to hold government officials to account for such misdeeds; today, they cannot. Few in the legacy media pursued credible reports of Biden family corruption, even though the infamous laptop (authenticated and held by the FBI for more than a year before the 2020 election) provided plenty of damaging information.
Joe Biden, who corresponded frequently with Hunter’s business partners, dined with his foreign associates and, according to the House Oversight Committee, received direct monthly payments from Hunter’s business entity, Owasco PC, is almost certainly guilty of influence peddling. When the president pardoned his son, he was actually pardoning himself.
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The media has not been a reliable agent of accountability; instead, the New York Times, Washington Post, CBS News et al. have operated as wingmen for the Democratic National Committee. Journalist Catherine Herridge has reported that her former bosses at CBS News refused to let her interview Elon Musk live about the Twitter files because they were afraid of what he might say.
Meanwhile, our country’s law enforcement agencies for years have bent in only one direction. While more than 1,100 Trump supporters who protested the 2020 election on January 6 have been rounded up, and over 600 sentenced to prison, there have been few prosecutions for the riots that took place after the murder of George Floyd. There were, despite lies told by Joe Biden, no police fatalities on January 6; four Trump supporters died that day, including Ashli Babbitt, an unarmed female veteran who was shot by a cop with a lengthy disciplinary history and who, two years later, was promoted to captain.
For sure, the recent election provides some accountability. Voters ejected Vice President Kamala Harris from the West Wing, who pretended Biden was sharp as a tack; that is a significant punishment. But what about people like Adam Schiff, who lied repeatedly that he had secret proof of Trump’s supposed ties to Russia? Schiff represents a district in California so blue that his constituents cheer his dishonest wounding of Donald Trump.
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Even those few punished for their role in perpetuating the Russia hoax have managed to wriggle free. Remember Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, the two former FBI officials who were fired when their text messages showed their political bias against Donald Trump and determination to scuttle his presidency? Earlier this year, they settled lawsuits claiming their privacy rights were violated when the Justice Department revealed their damaging messages; Strzok got a settlement of $1.2 million and Page received $800,000.
It is infuriating that the Left has been winning so many rounds; on November 5 they began what we hope will be a long losing streak. Trump is right: his retribution will be his success.
I cannot wait.
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Hegseth’s nomination standing on firmer ground as support grows for confirmation
What a difference a week makes.
As Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s defense secretary nominee, returns to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with more Republican senators, his once apparently teetering nomination now seems to be on much firmer ground.
While Hegseth’s confirmation is still far from a sure bet, a very public pronouncement of support from Trump, behind-the-scenes efforts by Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance, and Hegseth’s own determination seem to have resuscitated a nomination that appeared to be headed toward life support.
“We look forward to earning these confirmation votes,” a confident Hegseth said Monday night in an interview on Fox News’ “Hannity.”
WHAT PETE HEGSETH TOLD FOX NEWS’ SEAN HANNITY
In the wake of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, the president-elect’s first attorney general nominee, ending his confirmation bid amid controversy, there has been a full-court press by Trump’s political orbit to bolster Hegseth in order to protect him and other controversial Cabinet picks.
“If Trump world allowed a couple of establishment senators to veto a second nominee, it would have led to a feeding frenzy on Trump’s other nominees, and so the thinking in Trump world was we have to defend Pete not just for the sake of defending Pete, but also for the sake of defending our other nominees,” a longtime Trump world adviser, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News.
WHAT SEN. ERNST SAYS ABOUT THE HEGSETH NOMINATION
Hegseth, an Army National Guard officer who deployed to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and who until last month was a longtime Fox News host, has been the focus of a slew of reports spotlighting a series of drinking and sexual misconduct allegations, as well as a report alleging he mismanaged a veterans nonprofit organization that he once led.
Hegseth has denied allegations that he mistreated women but did reach a financial settlement with an accuser from a 2017 incident to avoid a lawsuit. He has vowed that he won’t drink “a drop of alcohol” if confirmed as defense secretary.
Trump’s defense secretary nominee was interviewed hours after meeting a second time with Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate and a member of the Armed Services Committee, which will hold Hegseth’s confirmation hearings.
Ernst, a conservative lawmaker first elected to the Senate in 2014, is considered a pivotal vote in the confirmation battle over Hegseth, who in the past has questioned the role of women in combat.
The senator is also a survivor of sexual assault who has a strong legislative record of addressing sexual assault and harassment in the military.
After meeting with Hegseth, Ernst wrote in a statement Monday that “as I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”
Ernst emphasized that “following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women – based on quality and standards, not quotas – and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks.”
TRUMP RALLIES BEHIND HEGSETH BUT INVITES DESANTIS TO ARMY-NAVY GAME
Hegseth, speaking with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, noted that “it was a great meeting. People don’t really know this. I’ve known Sen. Ernst for over 10 years.
“You get into these meetings, and you listen to senators – it’s an amazing advise and consent process – and you hear how thoughtful, serious, substantive they are on these key issues that pertain to our Defense Department,” he continued. “And Joni Ernst is front and center on that. So to be able to have phone calls and meetings time and time again to talk over the issues is really, really important. The fact that she’s willing to support me through this process means a lot.”
Last week, after her first meeting with Hegseth, Ernst said in a social media post that she and Trump’s defense secretary nominee had a “frank and thorough” conversation.
A day later, when asked in an interview on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” if she wasn’t ready to vote to confirm Hegseth, the senator replied, “I think you are right.”
Even Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a longtime Trump ally in the Senate, was expressing serious concerns about Hegseth’s nomination.
Fox News and other news organizations late last week reported that Trump was potentially considering nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as defense secretary as a possible replacement should Hegseth’s nomination falter.
TRUMP ORBIT RAMPS UP CRITICISM OF ERNST OVER HEGSETH NOMINATION
But on Friday, Trump took to social media to praise Hegseth.
“Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News,” the president-elect wrote. And he praised Hegseth in a high-profile network TV interview over this past weekend.
Vance, who remains a senator from Ohio until he steps down to assume the vice presidency, has been working behind the scenes to consolidate support for Hegseth among his Republican colleagues in the Senate.
“It’s fair to say that JD has been Pete’s biggest champion internally in Trump world and has spent a lot of time over the last two weeks helping shore up support for Pete among his colleagues in the Senate,” a source in Vance’s political orbit told Fox News.
Meanwhile, Trump’s political team and allies – fueled by grassroots support for Hegseth – turned up the volume.
“There will be no resource that we won’t use to go after those U.S. senators that vote against Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks or his other nominees,” longtime Trump outside adviser Corey Lewandowski told Fox News.
Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect’s oldest son and MAGA powerhouse, took to social media to target wavering Republican senators.
“If you’re a GOP Senator who voted for Lloyd Austin [President Biden’s defense secretary], but criticize @PeteHegseth, then maybe you’re in the wrong political party!” Don Trump Jr. wrote in a social media post.
MAGA allies quickly targeted Ernst, with talk of a primary challenge when the senator faces re-election in 2026.
“This is the red line. This is not a joke.… The funding is already being put together. Donors are calling like crazy. Primaries are going to be launched,” said Charlie Kirk, an influential conservative activist and radio and TV host who co-founded and steers Turning Point USA.
GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?
Kirk, on his radio program, warned that “if you support the president’s agenda, you’re good. You’re marked safe from a primary. You go up against Pete Hegseth, the president repeatedly, then don’t be surprised, Joni Ernst, if all of a sudden you have a primary challenge in Iowa.”
State Attorney General Brenna Bird, a top Trump supporter in last January’s Iowa presidential caucuses, wrote a column on Breitbart urging Hegseth’s confirmation.
While she didn’t mention Ernst by name, Bird took aim at “D.C. politicians” who “think they can ignore the voices of their constituents and entertain smears from the same outlets that have pushed out lies for years.”
And longtime Iowa-based conservative commentator and media personality Steve Deace took to social media and used his radio program to highlight that he would consider launching a primary challenge against Ernst.
Deace, who supported DeSantis in the Iowa caucuses, said, “I am willing to primary her for the good of the cause if I’m assured I have Trump’s support going in. Or I am willing to throw my support and network behind someone else President Trump prefers to primary Joni Ernst instead.”
Also helping Hegseth is his defiance.
Hegseth told reporters on Thursday that “this will not be a process tried in the media. I don’t answer to anyone in this group. None of you, not to that camera at all. I answer to President Trump, who received 76 million votes on behalf… and a mandate for change. I answer to the 100 senators who are part of this process and those in the committee. And I answer to my Lord and Savior and my wife and my family.”
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And on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Hegseth charged that “the left is trying to turn this into a trial in the media, a show trial. And we’re not going to let that happen.”
College students flee to safety as massive wildfire explodes near school
Pepperdine University continues to be impacted by the Franklin Fire in Los Angeles County, Calif., early Tuesday morning, and a shelter-in-place remains in effect “until at least daylight,” the university said.
Pepperdine’s updates have been coming across the university’s Facebook and X pages since just before 1 a.m. local time. Daylight is expected to be just before 7 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
“The University understands the worst of the fire has pushed past Pepperdine,” a post to X reads. “However, there are smaller spot fires on campus that are not threatening life or structures, and fire resources remain on campus to address these spot fires as they occur.”
The post went on to say, “Additionally, power remains out for much of Malibu and therefore, to ensure the safety of our community, we will maintain the shelter-in-place protocol until at least daylight. The EOC will continue to update the community.”
COLORADO DEPUTIES’ DARING RESCUE OF TWO CHILDREN FROM HOUSE FIRE CAPTURED ON BODYCAM VIDEO
Malibu campus operations have been suspended for Tuesday, canceling classes and final exams as students prepare for winter break. Power is out on campus, as well, spokesman Mike Friel told Fox News Digital.
“An updated final exam schedule will be released later today by the Dean’s office of each school,” Pepperdine posted to X.
A shelter-in-place for community members was issued and directed to the Tyler Campus Center and Payson Library after the university’s Emergency Operations Committee (EOC) was activated.
TRUCK CARRYING 44,000 POUNDS OF CHICKPEAS CATCHES FIRE IN DEATH VALLEY
The third-alarm brush fire off Malibu Canyon Road and Station Boundary forced residents in the area to be evacuated, and others are under evacuation warning.
So far, no injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of the fire, according to FOX Weather.
Los Angeles County Fire Department units are on the ground and in the air fighting the brush fire, the department said on Facebook.
The fire has scorched more than 1,822 acres and is 0% contained, according to Cal Fire. It started at 10:50 p.m. and the cause is under investigation.
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Along with evacuations, the fire has ked to officials closing Pacific Coast Highway between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Corral Canyon Road, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
For fire evacuation updates and emergency information, visit the county of Los Angeles incident response website.
Incoming Trump DOJ urged to launch civil rights probe into Manhattan DA’s office
New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino is urging the incoming Trump administration to launch a federal civil rights probe into the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on the heels of Marine veteran Daniel Penny’s Monday acquittal, alleging District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s charges in the high-profile subway chokehold case, among others, were politically motivated.
“It’s really simple. The Manhattan D.A. has made this racial. We have seen what A.G. Bragg has been capable of and has tried to pursue, and I think between Trump and now, this is the icing on the cake, with Penny… They make it a vendetta. He is definitely political. This is politicized, and I think he needs to be investigated. I think the whole DA’s office in Manhattan needs to be investigated,” she told “Fox & Friends First” on Tuesday.
Paladino, a Republican, has been outspoken on 26-year-old Penny’s behalf, expressing her support at a news conference last year, where she argued he had been “failed by the system” and demanded he receive a fair trial.
DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD METAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER
Penny was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide in 30-year-old homeless man Jordan Neely’s death on a New York City subway after he put Neely in a chokehold for threatening other passengers.
The manslaughter charge was dropped at the prosecution’s request on Friday after jurors failed to reach a unanimous agreement twice.
Penny was acquitted of the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide on Monday, drawing outrage from Black Lives Matter activists who vowed to protest the outcome.
“Over this weekend, they [jurors] knew that they were sent in to convict him no matter what, and I think there were a lot of people on Friday who knew that, who sat on the jury, and I think that’s why it came back as quick as it did,” Paladino said.
DANIEL PENNY FOUND NOT GUILTY IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD TRIAL
Bragg said in a statement reacting to the acquittal, “The jury has now spoken. At the Manhattan D.A.’s Office, we deeply respect the jury process, and we respect their verdict.”
The statement continued, “Unfortunately, over the duration of this trial, talented career prosecutors and their family members were besieged with hate and threats – on social media, by phone and over email. Simply put, this is unacceptable, and everyone, no matter your opinion on this case, should condemn it.
“These are prosecutors who have dedicated decades of their lives to public service and to the safety of Manhattan. I am grateful to them, as well as to the NYPD for their hard work and commitment on not only this matter, but for all they do on behalf of New Yorkers. I also want to thank Judge Wiley for presiding over this case. Finally, I want to thank the members of the jury who took time out of their lives to diligently evaluate the evidence.”
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Maud Maron, an attorney and Republican vying for Bragg’s seat, also criticized the progressive D.A. as she sat down with “Fox & Friends” co-host Lawrence Jones on Monday.
“Alvin Bragg came into this office with his day one memo, which was wrong in so many different ways, saying that he would not prosecute, resisting arrest, saying that he would treat certain felonies as misdemeanors, which is not his role,” she said.
“He’s going out. He’s ending his term now with this Daniel Penny case. This is going to be his legacy, that he tried to prosecute a young man who has no criminal record, who had served his country honorably and who did what many people in the subways would hope, which is to be a brave young man and step up and try to protect people on the subway.”
Piers Morgan crushes reporter who felt ‘joy’ over CEO’s murder, she immediately walks it back
Ex-Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz told an outraged Piers Morgan during his show on Monday that she felt “joy” when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot in New York City.
“I do believe in the sanctity of life and I think that’s why I felt, along with so many other Americans, joy, unfortunately,” Lorenz told Morgan, who was taken aback by her answer. “Maybe not joy but certainly not empathy.”
Thompson was shot and killed outside the Midtown Hilton Hotel on Wednesday. Authorities arrested a suspect on Monday at an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonalds.
“How could this make you joyful?” Morgan asked. “This guy is a husband, he’s a father, and he’s been gunned down in the middle of Manhattan. Why does that make you joyful?”
UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO BRIAN THOMPSON’S KILLER USED FAKE ID TO CHECK INTO NYC HOSTEL BEFORE SLAYING: SOURCES
“So are the tens of thousands of Americans that he murdered!” Lorenz said. “So are the tens of thousands of Americans, innocent Americans, who died because greedy health insurance executives like this one push a policy of denying care to the most vulnerable people, and I am a part of the many millions of Americans that have watched people that I care about suffer and in some cases die because of lack of healthcare.”
Morgan asked if every healthcare executive deserved to be killed and Lorenz responded with, “no.” After Thompson’s death, Lorenz posted on social media, “And people wonder why we want these executives dead.”
“Well, why not? Why are you laughing? You seem to find the whole thing hilarious. A bloke’s been murdered in the street. I don’t find it funny at all,” Morgan said.
Lorenz emphasized that she took back what she said about feeling joy over the murder, and said it was the wrong word.
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“It feels like justice in this system when somebody responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans suffers the same fate as tens of thousands of Americans,” Lorenz added.
Tomi Lahren was also on the panel and said Lorenz went too far in saying she didn’t feel empathy for Thompson. Lorenz laughed at Lahren’s response.
“Taylor, I don’t mean to be rude, but why the f— are you laughing all the time?” Morgan said. “I don’t get it. Sorry, apologies for my language, but honestly I find it unbelievable! What are you laughing at?”
“I’m laughing at Tomi’s insane mischaracterization of why people are angry,” Lorenz said. “The majority of America is united on this, we do not think that this healthcare system that is murdering, again, thousands of innocent Americans, who by the way Tomi, also have families, also have children. These people are being killed by our barbaric and evil for-profit healthcare system. And I agree we should not necessarily go around shooting people in the street.”
Lorenz suggested on social media after Thompson’s death that other healthcare executives should be targeted as well.
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Why all eyes were on a Dallas cheerleader after the Bengals made an extra point
New Cincinnati Bengals kicker Cade York made headlines before his debut with the team on Monday, when he revealed that his girlfriend, Zoe Dale, was a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys.
York, who took the place of an injured Evan McPherson, told reporters Friday that despite her allegiance to the Cowboys, Dale would be cheering for him.
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That is exactly what she did when he made his first extra point attempt at AT&T Stadium on Monday night.
Late in the first quarter, York lined up for his first extra point of the game that would tie the score at 7-7. With a successful kick, ESPN’s broadcast captured Dale’s heartwarming reaction.
“Praise God,” she said with a big smile.
BENGALS NEW KICKER CADE YORK WILL SHARE SIDELINE WITH COWBOYS CHEERLEADER GIRLFRIEND ON ‘MNF’
York, 23, said last week that he got the call from the Bengals a day after his girlfriend was baptized.
“I was like ‘Well, Zoe, I will see you at home no matter what.’ So yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
York was 2-2 on field goals and 3-3 on extra kicks.
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A botched blocked punt gave the ball back to the Bengals late in the fourth quarter, and Joe Burrow’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase gave the Bengals a much-needed win over the Cowboys after losing three straight.
“We needed a break,” Burrow said after the game. “We haven’t got many this year, but it was nice to get that one and nice to come out of this with a win.”
Former TV news anchor makes bombshell claims about Dan Rather in new memoir
Former TV news anchor Connie Chung makes some bombshell claims in her memoir, including the alleged dismissive treatment she received from her colleague Dan Rather when the two worked together in the 1990s.
Chung was just the second woman after Barbara Walters and the first Asian American to be a network anchor when she started co-anchoring “CBS Evening News” with Rather in 1993 as an attempt to help the show’s flagging ratings.
“This wasn’t just a personal milestone but one for women and minorities, as I would be the first of both groups to coanchor the CBS News flagship broadcast,” Chung writes in “Connie.” “I felt incredibly lucky to be the one riding the crest.”
While her tenure broke some glass ceilings and she even referred to it as her “dream job,” Chung claimed her position didn’t protect her from some sexist comments from colleagues.
CONNIE CHUNG CLAIMS SHE WAS SEXUALLY HARASSED ‘EVERY DAY’
“While Rather publicly welcomed Chung, he privately put her in her place, telling her: ‘Now you are going to have to start reading the newspaper,’” The Boston Globe reported of Chung’s new book, “Connie.”
“I swallowed hard,” she writes of the incident. “Was this his idea of how to start a partnership? I was forty-seven and had spent half my life in the news business – did he think I had been reading the comics? We were just out of the gate in what I hoped would be a long run. My response: Silence.”
Chung also wrote that Rather told her, “I’ll cover the stories out there in the field, and you read the teleprompter.” Her co-anchor, she added, was “wound tight and had no sense of humor” and held “an inherent bias regarding women.”
She went further to allege that Rather tried to undercut her and question her journalistic abilities among their colleagues.
DISGRACED CBS NEWS ANCHOR DAN RATHER RETURNS TO NETWORK AFTER 18 YEARS FOR INTERVIEW
Rather would later step down from his role as CBS’ evening news anchor in 2005 and eventually leave the network the following year after reporting a discredited story about then-President George W. Bush’s Vietnam-era service in the National Guard. Rather, who at 92 still maintains a sharply left-wing presence on social media, was interviewed by CBS earlier this year about his time at the network and his career in journalism.
Chung had additional revelations about the behavior of male anchors in TV news, including Bryant Gumbel.
“In her book, Chung writes about how so many men in TV news, especially the anchormen, suffer from a disease she calls ‘big shot-itis,’” the Globe reported. “For example, Bryant Gumbel had in his NBC contract that ‘Today Show’ co-anchor Jane Pauley could never say ‘Good morning’ first nor say ‘Have a good day’ at the end of the show.”
Chung described her firing from CBS in 2005 as “devastating,” but she never wanted any sympathy.
“That was not my attitude when I was working,” she said. “I never ran to the ladies room and cried, because I always believed that there was no crying in baseball.”
Rather denied having anything to do with her exit and reportedly told The Washington Post at the time, “Nobody has heard a critical comment from me about Connie” and her removal “came as a surprise to us.”
DISGRACED DAN RATHER REFLECTS ON CBS EXIT: ‘REAL NEWS’ IS WHAT SOMEONE IN POWER ‘DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW’
Fox News Digital has reached out to Chung, Rather and Gumbel for further comment.
Chung would later join ABC News as co-anchor and correspondent of the popular show “20/20,” joining Walters and Diane Sawyer.
Now, she says that several women have thanked her for breaking some glass ceilings and that some Asian-American parents had even named their daughters Connie after her.
Chung scored some major interviews during her career, including NBA star Magic Johnson after his HIV-positive diagnosis in 1991.
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