Fox News Senior Political Analyst Brit Hume took issue with the way several reporters covered the Kamala Harris campaign — and defended himself when NBC’s Kasie Hunt and former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes fired back.
It all began with a Saturday tweet from CBS political reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns, who posted a video of Harris trying on a rainbow-colored sequined jacket — apparently at the behest of CNN national political reporter Maeve Reston.
When the campaign trail takes you to a boutique, and @MaeveReston spots a great sequined jacket for @KamalaHarris to try on. #campaignfashionreport pic.twitter.com/38bYJKqjRI
— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) February 16, 2019
Hume felt as though the reporter had possibly crossed the line with regard to objectivity.
“This is just embarrassing,” he argued. “So now journalists are going shopping with Harris, helping pick out clothes and then putting out glowing tweets about it.”
This is just embarrassing. So now journalists are going shopping with Harris, helping pick out clothes and then putting out glowing tweets about it. https://t.co/RX2IY0B8JL
— Brit Hume (@brithume) February 16, 2019
NBC reporter Kasie Hunt fired back at Hume, appearing to insinuate that the criticism had more to do with the fact that Harris was a woman than with the idea that reporters might be getting a little too close to the candidate on the campaign trail. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Admits To Smoking Weed: She Even Inhaled)
Nobody seemed to have a problem when the candidate was @ScottWalker and the activity was motorcycle riding
Or @MittRomney riding jet skis on vacation
Or skeet shooting with @LindseyGrahamSC
I’m all for female candidates expanding the list of campaign activities https://t.co/KgIgxnNW5x
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) February 16, 2019
Hume wasn’t so sure. “Talk about missing the point,” he tweeted. “Did journalists help Walker pick out his motorcycle, then gush about it on Twitter? Did they help Romney on with his life jacket?”
Talk about missing the point. Did journalists help Walker pick out his motorcycle, then gush about it on Twitter? Did they they help Romney on with his life jacket? That Kamala Harris shopping incident wasn’t coverage, it was participation. https://t.co/tjg7OqJ7uu
— Brit Hume (@brithume) February 16, 2019
Former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes also attacked Hume, citing the time Fox News host Sean Hannity appeared on stage at a campaign rally.
The most prominent Fox personality literally did a campaign rally with Trump. That’s what’s embarrassing. https://t.co/JQiSo9Kpel
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) February 16, 2019
But Hume pointed out the fact that Hannity is an opinion host, not a correspondent — and the fact that Hannity was rebuked by the network for his appearance at that rally. “Lame comparison,” he tweeted.
And he was rebuked by management for doing so. And he’s not the guy actually covering Trump. He’s not a correspondent, he’s an opinion host. Lame comparison. https://t.co/UZ0r3eYWNb
— Brit Hume (@brithume) February 16, 2019