Fox News has reportedly suspended popular host Jeanine Pirro, also known as Judge Jeanine, for comments she made about Muslims.
Pirro said that the fact Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who has drawn fire for anti-semitic comments, wears a hijab, or head covering, may signal support for Sharia law, or religious law based on hardline interpretations of the Koran.
“Think about this: She’s not getting this anti-Israel sentiment doctrine from the Democrat Party. So if it’s not rooted in the party, where is she getting it from?” Pirro said on her show earlier in March.
“Think about it. Omar wears a hijab, which according to the Koran 33:59, tells women to cover so they won’t get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which in itself is antithetical to the United States Constitution?”
An unnamed source told CNN’s Brian Stelter, a vocal critic of Fox News and President Donald Trump, that Pirro has been suspended for two weeks. Stelter did not describe the source past saying he or she was “familiar with the matter.”
Howard Kurtz addressing Jeanine Pirro’s Fox News show not airing last night: “Without some public explanation of why the show was pulled, It certainly looks like a suspension.” pic.twitter.com/okw50l7AOm
— Contemptor (@TheContemptor) March 17, 2019
No other reports have confirmed the alleged suspension.
Fox has not officially announced a suspension, describing the situation as an “internal scheduling matter.” But Howard Kurtz, another host on the network, said on Sunday that “without some public explanation of why the show was pulled—it certainly looks like a suspension.”
Last week, Fox in a statement said: “We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”
Pirro responded after Fox’s statement, suggesting her comments had been twisted.
“I’ve seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday night’s show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American. My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution,” Pirro said after Fox News’ condemnation. “I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing America today.”
Trump weighed in on the issue on March 17, calling on Fox to reinstate Pirro.
“The Radical Left Democrats, working closely with their beloved partner, the Fake News Media, is using every trick in the book to SILENCE a majority of our Country,” he wrote on Twitter March 17.
“They have all out campaigns against FoxNews hosts who are doing too well,” he added, referring to a recent push from the far-left group Media Matters to get Tucker Carlson fired from Fox.
Bring back @JudgeJeanine Pirro. The Radical Left Democrats, working closely with their beloved partner, the Fake News Media, is using every trick in the book to SILENCE a majority of our Country. They have all out campaigns against @FoxNews hosts who are doing too well. Fox …..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
….must stay strong and fight back with vigor. Stop working soooo hard on being politically correct, which will only bring you down, and continue to fight for our Country. The losers all want what you have, don’t give it to them. Be strong & prosper, be weak & die! Stay true….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
….to the people that got you there. Keep fighting for Tucker, and fight hard for @JudgeJeanine. Your competitors are jealous – they all want what you’ve got – NUMBER ONE. Don’t hand it to them on a silver platter. They can’t beat you, you can only beat yourselves!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2019
“Stop working soooo hard on being politically correct, which will only bring you down, and continue to fight for our Country,” he added. “The losers all want what you have, don’t give it to them. Be strong & prosper, be weak & die!”
Fox for years has beat competitors MSNBC and CNN in ratings. The latter are both openly liberal and anti-Trump while Fox generally reports favorably on Trump and is considered conservative.
“Keep fighting for Tucker, and fight hard for @JudgeJeanine,” Trump concluded. “Your competitors are jealous—they all want what you’ve got—NUMBER ONE. Don’t hand it to them on a silver platter. They can’t beat you, you can only beat yourselves!”
