Fox News Claims Obama Put a Gun to BP’s Head

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:01 pm

Fox News ratcheted up their pro-BP rhetoric today when the Wall Street Journal’s Steve Moore went on their On The Record program and claimed that President Obama put a gun to BP’s head, “The federal government, that is to say the Obama administration put a gun to BP’s head and said either go along with this agreement, or the future of this company will be very much in jeopardy.”

Here is the video courtesy of Media Matters:

When asked that there has been no legal process yet and asked what are the government and the BP’s responsibilities, Moore offered a defense of that poor victim, BP, “That’s exactly right, and the White House says we didn’t put undo pressure on BP to do this arrangement. Wait a minute. We now know they basically said they could cancel military contracts. They could take away their drilling rights, so let’s be very plain about this, the federal government, that is to say the Obama administration, put a gun to BP’s head and said either go along with this agreement, or the future of this company will be very much in jeopardy.”

It just boggles the mind that Fox News and the entire Newscorp family for that matter, which includes the Wall Street Journal, continues to go to such an extreme extent to defend one of the biggest corporate villains in the history of the United States, BP. Not only were Moore’s remarks stupid, but they demonstrate, just how little concern the Right has for the regular people who have been victimized by BP’s greed. The more Fox News and the GOP defend BP, the lower their expectations get for the midterm elections.

I know that their memo is to oppose Obama on everything, but opposing a plan to hold BP accountable for the lives and livelihoods they ruined is political suicide. If you listen to Moore’s comments closely, he is arguing that BP should not lose their military contracts or drilling rights. Essentially he is claiming that the federal government should not hold BP accountable, and in fact, should continue to reward them. BP is the top fuel supplier to the military with $2.2 billion in contracts in that area alone.

It is fantastic that the federal government made BP make a down payment towards victim compensation. Do you think John McCain would have done this if he was president right now? We know that George W. Bush would never have penalized BP. Doesn’t the government have a right to decided who they are going to give our tax dollars to when they do business with them? According to Fox News, they don’t.

Fox News is leading the Right and the Republican Party straight off of the cliff on this one. By defending BP, the network is sending the message that corporate America matters more than the average person. This is quite a departure from the objectivity and populism of, “We report. You decide.” Fox News is not reporting or deciding. They have branched into being the propaganda arm for BP, and while the gig may pay well in terms of corporate dollars, this narrative can only play well with the most ideologically hardened Fox News viewers.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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