A Department of Justice (DOJ) spokeswoman denied a claim from CNN host Brian Stelter’s book accusing Attorney General William Barr of trying to “muzzle” Fox News’ Judge Andrew Napolitano.
Stelter’s upcoming book “Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth” in part dives into an October 2019 meeting between Barr and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Stelter noted various topics that were discussed – including Napolitano, The Guardian reported, citing Stelter’s book.
The book alleges that President Donald Trump “was so incensed by the judge’s TV broadcasts that he had implored Barr to send Rupert a message in person … about ‘muzzling the judge’. [Trump] wanted the nation’s top law enforcement official to convey just how atrocious Napolitano’s legal analysis had been,” citing an unnamed source, according to The Guardian.
DOJ spokeswoman Kerri Kupec denied this part of Stelter’s book Saturday evening on Twitter. Kupec added that Stelter “did not reach out to us before publishing.” (RELATED: CNN’s Brian Stelter To 2019 Graduates: ‘I Still Don’t Know What I’m Doing’)
“This is false,” she tweeted.
This is false. A basic fact-check would have revealed that, but @brianstelter did not reach out to us before publishing.https://t.co/OWgCWX3aFg
— Kerri Kupec DOJ (@KerriKupecDOJ) August 23, 2020
The CNN host also wrote that Barr’s request “carried a lot of weight,” adding that no one was “explicitly told to take Napolitano off the air.” Napolitano has been outspoken against Trump, particularly during his impeachment trial.
Brian Stelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller.