Fox Corporation FOX FOXA Chair Rupert Murdoch said that certain hosts at the Fox network “endorsed” election fraud claims pushed by former president Donald Trump.
What Happened: Murdoch's disclosure came in a recent deposition. He named Fox News former and current hosts Lou Dobbs and Maria Bartiromo in the sworn testimony, first seen on Deadline.
“Not Fox, no. Not Fox. But maybe Lou Dobbs, maybe Maria, as commentators.” The 91-year-old Fox Chair said he would have “liked us to be stronger in denouncing” the former president’s false claims about the 2020 presidential elections, according to the report.
Other anchors named in the deposition by Murdoch include Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity.
The trial is expected to begin in April in the Delaware Superior Court.
Why It Matters: The revelations were made in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News and its owner Fox Corporation.
Dominion reportedly said that Fox News hosts gave voice to the fake claims and brought on guests like Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell and others that pushed the fraud narrative.
Murdoch said he could have told the CEO of Fox News, Suzanne Scott, or the hosts to cease airing Giuliani. “I could have. But I didn’t.”
Fox said in a statement that the fact that Dominion was “forced” to cut their demanded damages by more than half a billion dollars was a reflection of how their lawsuit has “always been more about what will generate headlines,” according to Deadline.
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