Republican North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop criticized Fox News on Thursday for publishing an “incorrect” story on Bishop’s earlier comments.
Fox News originally published an article headlined “GOP holdout Dan Bishop says he will resign if bid to stop McCarthy fails.”
The story cited an interview published in Roll Call in which Bishop said he would not remain in Congress indefinitely if no improvements were made.
Fox News later updated the headline to read “GOP holdout Dan Bishop denies claiming he’ll resign if bid to stop McCarthy fails.”
Bishop’s communications director Allie McCandless said Fox was “purposefully misconstruing the full quote.”
“Congressman Bishop said that he doesn’t plan to be on the hill for life, & that if we *eventually* can’t get the necessary changes to the institution, that he would shorten his planned tenure,” she tweeted.
This is NOT what he said. This reporter is purposefully misconstruing the full quote.
Congressman Bishop said that he doesn’t plan to be on the hill for life, & that if we *eventually* can’t get the necessary changes to the institution, that he would shorten his planned tenure. https://t.co/XOpxhcFm3X
— Allie McCandless 🇺🇸 (@AllieMcCandless) January 5, 2023
“This story is incorrect,” Bishop wrote in his own Twitter post. “I said nothing of the kind – I will serve my team with all the force and vigor in me.” (RELATED: Tucker Carlson Hammers GOP Rep. Crenshaw For Calling McCarthy’s Opponents ‘Terrorists’)
This story is incorrect. I said nothing of the kind – I will serve my term with all the force and vigor in me. https://t.co/zhwq8fxW1K
— Rep. Dan Bishop (@RepDanBishop) January 5, 2023
Bishop replied to his tweet with a screenshot of his original quote: “I’m sort of older than the average bear. I’m not old, at least I don’t think I’m old, but I’m not going to stay up here for decades. We’re going to either see improvement up here in the same way we made remarkable improvements in North Carolina, in the state legislature, or I’m out.”
Bishop said Fox News was the only outlet to publish “this false headline” in a statement to the Daily Caller.
“It’s astonishing how people only seem to hear what they want to hear. I spoke to a large gaggle, but only one outlet put out this false headline. It just goes to show that Fake News is everywhere – even in places you might not initially expect.”
The House failed for the seventh time to elect a speaker on Thursday, with a group of Republicans remaining firm in their opposition to California Rep. Kevin McCarthy. Opponents have rallied around a number of champions, beginning with Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs before moving on to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and then to Florida Rep. Byron Donalds.