During his Wednesday night interview with George Zimmerman –the man who killed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin — Fox News host Sean Hannity said MSNBC host Al Sharpton rushed to judgment about the high-profile case. MSNBC responded by accusing Hannity of spreading “misinformation.”
“Look at what happened in this case because it became so public,” Hannity said. “Spike Lee is tweeting out what he thinks is your home address, the Reverend Al Sharpton and NBC News tries to use this case to bring up the issue of racial profiling. What do you say to Spike Lee? — didn’t know the facts of the case, they hadn’t been revealed — what do you say to Al Sharpton and those who rushed to judgment? What do you think their motives were?”
Zimmerman said he would like an apology from Lee and Sharpton.
The remarks from Hannity drew the ire of MSNBC’s public relations department and they issued the following response on Thursday, denying Sharpton’s so-called rush to judgment:
MSNBC would like to set the record straight following some misinformation presented by Fox News during the interview with George Zimmerman last night. Reverend Al Sharpton never “rushed to judgment,” as stated by Mr. Hannity. Reverend Sharpton repeatedly called for calm and for a more thorough investigation in the wake of the tragic events. Ultimately, the authorities agreed an arrest was warranted.
A spokesperson from Fox News declined to comment on the MSNBC statement.