Watters Levels Liberal Co-Host — Issue Violent On-Air Warning
During a segment of Fox News' "The Five," tensions rose among the co-hosts during a discussion about former President Donald Trump and the case brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith, appointed by the Biden administration's Department of Justice. Trump, through his legal team, pleaded "not guilty."
The debate took a heated turn when liberal commentator Tarlov brought up Hillary Clinton's characterization of the Republican Party as a "cult" due to Trump's influence. Tarlov argued that Trump wields significant control over a substantial portion of the Republican base, making them resistant to new information, particularly negative or potentially criminal information about him.
“I don’t think it’s a cult but I think that Donald Trump holds an almost mystical level of power and control over a large swath of the Republican base and they are immune to taking in new information, new negative information, new dangerous information, new potentially criminal information about him,” Tarlov said.
“The Presidential Records Act, and Andy McCarthy was talking about this earlier, it doesn’t apply to agency documents,” Tarlov continued. “So the way that people are using this to say — I think you said it yesterday, Jesse — ‘Oh, you know, he’s allowed to do this’… He’s not allowed to do it.”
Watters smirked and remarked sarcastically, “Good argument.
“Yeah, it is a good argument that he is not allowed to have those documents,” Tarlov retorted. He can’t decide when he declassifies them. He admitted that on tape, which is going to be a huge piece of evidence in this, so stop using the Presidential Records Act.”
Things rapidly became heated, and Watters exclaimed, “I will use that act whenever I damn well please!” Tarlov responded, “Well, continue to do it inaccurately.”
Watters remarked, “I am glad I printed it out! Thank God I printed it out ’cause I’m about to smack you with the act in a second.”
Tarlov responded: “When everyone says this is unprecedented, the problem is that Donald Trump is doing things that are unprecedented, and we don’t know that these documents weren’t compromised. We heard about that there were two intruders, two Chinese national intruders. We know that he waved around a classified document…”
“Now you care about Chinese nationals?” Watters roared in laughter.
As a result, Tarlov and Watters intensified their rivalry:
TARLOV: The amount deflection that goes on… I say something about China and you go ‘Fang Fang’, or I say something about this and then you just throw out, ‘Hunter Biden is a crack addict.’ Who cares! Talk about what happened today, talk about the indictment, and don’t make up things.
WATTERS: Before I get into the act, which I have here, you said something that the Trump voters are immune from taking in new information? That’s such B.S. Jessica because we’re actually learning about the Presidential Records Act, we’re learning about the Espionage Act, and we’re actually making legal arguments and using precedent and comparisons to how the Justice Department has treated Democrats.
Watters concluded, “You’re the ones that don’t want to take in any new information.”