General Discussion

Miles Archer

(18,837 posts) Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:06 PM Dec 2019

Fox News' Bret Baier to Treasury Dept: "I would like you to do me a favor, though..."

On Monday, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that Bret Baier, a “hard news” anchor for Fox News’ “Special Report,” asked President Donald Trump’s Treasury Department for special treatment.

Specifically, emails provided to the Reporter by nonprofit group Democracy Forward show Baier asked Treasury officials for his family and a family friend to be granted a tour of the U.S. Mint — a request that was promptly granted.

“If it doesn’t work — don’t worry about it,” wrote Baier to former Treasury spokesman Tony Sayegh. “Meant to request last week. Don’t spend too much time on it. If you can point us to someone — and it’s easy — great. If not — no worries. Thanks.”

Immediately, Sayegh emailed a staffer saying, “Bret Baier is asking to help him get his friends and family a Mint tour tomorrow. Who can help us do that?”

Other emails revealed that Fox News would reach out to the Treasury for political help, with one booker for the Dana Perino Show asking if Secretary Steve Mnuchin had any policies he would like to promote on the network.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/12/hard-news-anchor-at-fox-busted-asking-trumps-treasury-department-for-favors/

15 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Fox News' Bret Baier to Treasury Dept: "I would like you to do me a favor, though..." (Original Post) Miles Archer Dec 2019 OP

'Hard News' ??? empedocles Dec 2019 #1

Full story on Hollywood Reporter - no paywall (and it's worse than RS said): Dennis Donovan Dec 2019 #2

Pravda TV... magicarpet Dec 2019 #3

I've called it Depravda TV for a while. kairos12 Dec 2019 #13

+1, uponit7771 Dec 2019 #15

This was the f**king asshole who said from "his sources at the FBI", an immenent indictment was still_one Dec 2019 #4

K & R for exposure. SunSeeker Dec 2019 #5

Someone funded by taxpayers gave that tour bucolic_frolic Dec 2019 #6

I think that there are regular tours at the Philadelphia and Denver mints Zorro Dec 2019 #11

Is he related to Trump? blueinredohio Dec 2019 #7

Fort Knox and the mythical gold saidsimplesimon Dec 2019 #8

... "do us a favor..." 🤔 irisblue Dec 2019 #9

Something is being set up to scam the mint/treasury Captain Zero Dec 2019 #12

There's no hard news on Faux.. paleotn Dec 2019 #10

So, we're gonna have to endure a rw parade of favors Mersky Dec 2019 #14

empedocles

(15,751 posts)

1. 'Hard News' ???

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:10 PM

Dec 2019

Does have an apparently ghosted book to his name.

Dennis Donovan

(18,770 posts)

2. Full story on Hollywood Reporter - no paywall (and it's worse than RS said):

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:11 PM

Dec 2019

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-news-media-networks-internal-competition-revealed-emails-1264427

New Emails Reveal Internal Competition Between Fox News Media Networks

"He is doing Maria Bartiromo you know — much lower ratings than us and I say this in an endearing way," a Lou Dobbs producer told Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin's spokesperson.

Cable news booking is a competitive business, and a new tranche of emails obtained from the Trump Treasury Department by way of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit show how this pressure can even pit a network's shows against each other.

In April 2017, a producer for Lou Dobbs' Fox Business Network program played up the show's ratings advantage over Maria Bartiromo's morning show when trying to land an interview with Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin. "Secretary Mnuchin next week you think?" the producer said in an email to Mnuchin's spokesperson. "He is doing Maria Bartiromo you know — much lower ratings than us and I say this in an endearing way."

The producer also played up Dobbs' popularity among supporters of the president, writing: "I just want to make sure he is reaching ALL of the commuters from the Trump train!"

</snip>

magicarpet

(14,155 posts)

3. Pravda TV...

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:38 PM

Dec 2019

kairos12

(12,862 posts)

13. I've called it Depravda TV for a while.

Reply to magicarpet (Reply #3)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 03:00 PM

Dec 2019

uponit7771

(90,347 posts)

15. +1,

Reply to magicarpet (Reply #3)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 03:35 PM

Dec 2019

still_one

(92,219 posts)

4. This was the f**king asshole who said from "his sources at the FBI", an immenent indictment was

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 12:56 PM

Dec 2019

coming against the Clinton Foundation, a few days after the f**king asshole Comey released the letter to the republicans in congress.

The ASSHOLE apologized a few days later, but ONLY AFTER the other media outlets propagated the LIE, and already inflicted the damage

Rachel Maddow fell for his bullshit apology, not realizing that this was just another con job, but the deplorable pseudo news network he worked for

https://deadline.com/2016/11/bret-baier-apologizes-fbi-clinton-foundation-indictment-report-mistake-1201849125/

SunSeeker

(51,571 posts)

5. K & R for exposure.

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 01:35 PM

Dec 2019

bucolic_frolic

(43,181 posts)

6. Someone funded by taxpayers gave that tour

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 01:38 PM

Dec 2019

This took up time and resources for special treatment for someone ostensibly from the media. You or I can't get that.

Zorro

(15,740 posts)

11. I think that there are regular tours at the Philadelphia and Denver mints

Reply to bucolic_frolic (Reply #6)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:55 PM

Dec 2019

I know there are tours in DC where bills are printed; I took that tour once. Very interesting.

blueinredohio

(6,797 posts)

7. Is he related to Trump?

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 01:53 PM

Dec 2019

They look like they're the same color. Orange.

saidsimplesimon

(7,888 posts)

8. Fort Knox and the mythical gold

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:05 PM

Dec 2019

bars stacked end to end is not on their list of places to pillage?

irisblue

(32,980 posts)

9. ... "do us a favor..." 🤔

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:19 PM

Dec 2019

🤔 where have we heard that?

Captain Zero

(6,811 posts)

12. Something is being set up to scam the mint/treasury

Reply to irisblue (Reply #9)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:55 PM

Dec 2019

And Fox is just an asset to get them in the door. WHO EXACTLY was included on this tour?? I don't trust that this was innocent in any way. Especially with all the related grooming and schmoozing of the Treasury Department and Mnuchin mentioned in this thread.

paleotn

(17,931 posts)

10. There's no hard news on Faux..

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 02:40 PM

Dec 2019

They're an entertainment network. Says so right on their website. Personally, I don't find them very entertaining.

Mersky

(4,982 posts)

14. So, we're gonna have to endure a rw parade of favors

Reply to Miles Archer (Original post)

Mon Dec 23, 2019, 03:30 PM

Dec 2019

To diminish the favor for which tRump was impeached.

mcconnell’s in on the favor game as well - tRump “wrote” the forward to the latest edition of his hate memoirs. He even made sure to sell the book during his infamous appearance on hannity’s show the Thursday night before the Articles of Impeachment were voted out of the Judiciary Committee. As he announced he would coordinate with the WH counsel he was hocking his newly “improved” paperback.

——— Link to the fox news YouTube of mcconnell on hannity; his admission about coordinating with the pResident begins at 01:44; discussing the book is at the start and end:

How many emoluments type violations will tRump commit in the open in the months ahead? His ill-informed cult members may not care about the implications of such, but I reckon the majority of Americans find this wholly unacceptable.

___
I resist posting links to rw media outlets - no matter how much I want to pillory their content. I’ve made an exception in this case as mcconnell made an historic misstep, imo, and requires scrutiny.

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