Fox News Never Considered Star Anchors in Trump Leak Investigation
Fox News already knows two of its top stars were not involved in the network’s scandal over whether President-elect Donald Trump was given questions before a network town hall last year.
A source familiar with the inner workings at Fox told the Daily Beast the network knows star anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum did not leak the questions ahead of its investigation into whether—and if so, how—Trump received questions prior to a town hall with Iowa voters the two moderated in January 2024. The revelation from Politico reporter Alex Isenstadt’s book, first reported by CNN on Wednesday ahead of the book’s March release, was based on “multiple people with direct knowledge” of the event, he told CNN. The two have not been roped into any inquiry.
The network has also ruled out other top editorial leaders from the network, the source said, “if there was a breach.”
It is unclear what seniority the mole inside the network had at the time or if they are still employed at there. According to Isenstadt, the person provided a senior Trump aide with images of the questions—and planned follow-ups—through text messages a half hour before the town hall.
“Jackpot,“ Isenstadt wrote, according to CNN. ”This was like a student getting a peek at the test before the exam started.”
The questions enraged Trump, Isenstadt reported, who felt the queries were “like attacks designed to put him on the defensive.” But the leak allowed the Trump team to workshop answers to questions on topics such as political violence, political retribution, and whether he would divest from his businesses should he win the election.
Fox News blasted the report in a statement. “While we do not have any evidence of this occurring, and Alex Isenstadt has conveniently refused to release the images for fact checking, we take these matters very seriously and plan to investigate should there prove to be a breach within the network,” a spokesperson wrote.
The leak drew similarities to a 2016 episode where then-Democratic National Committee official Donna Brazile tipped Hillary Clinton’s campaign off to questions from CNN-sponsored events. The incident cost Brazile her CNN contributor contract and drew years of scorn from Trump and other Republicans. (Brazile declined to comment on the episode on Thursday.)
Isenstadt’s book, Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power, also revealed that Trump pushed to choose Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo as vice president. The move drew backlash from many of Trump’s campaign officials, who noted they did not have the time to vet her. Eventually, campaign co-chair Susie Wiles nixed the proposal.
