Oliver Darcy of Status writes that Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo left the network, announced Thursday, after detailing an internal Fox memo to the White House.
Darcy writes, “Status has learned that Bartiromo’s termination stems from an incident, which has not previously been reported, that occurred in July. After Trump delivered his unhinged prime time speech in which he pushed more conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, this time making a number of allegations against China, I am told that Fox News issued guidance to senior employees instructing them to steer clear of giving credence to Trump’s delusional claims. I’m told that the guidance was issued in writing.
“Indeed, the day after Trump’s prime time address, Fox News conspicuously avoided covering the debunked claims the president had pushed. The lack of coverage raised eyebrows among media observers at the time. It also appears to have caught the attention of the White House.
“It’s unclear whether Trump or someone at the White House inquired with Bartiromo about the lack of coverage. But ultimately Bartiromo spilled the secret, Status has learned, divulging to the White House that Trump’s speech had received scant coverage on the channel because network bosses had ordered it so. I’m even told the text message in which Fox News brass offered their guidance was shared by Bartiromo with the White House. In doing so, Bartiromo not only effectively betrayed her employer, but also disclosed confidential company information, violating the terms of her employment agreement.
“It’s unclear whether Trump ever acted on the information, though one might imagine that upon learning of what happened, he would call Murdoch or network chief Suzanne Scott and rage. In any event, shortly after Fox News learned of Bartiromo’s actions, the Fox Business host vanished from the network’s air. Then, on Thursday, Fox News formally announced her ouster.”
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