Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
CNN says Trump has not yet decided how to proceed and is still assessing the risks and benefits of launching a broader military campaign against Venezuela.
US Secretary of War announces launch of Operation Southern Spear against alleged drug-trade-linked “terrorists” in the Western Hemisphere.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister: We reaffirm our commitment to Bolivarian diplomacy for peace and our legitimate right to defend our sovereignty.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister: The US administration is the aggressor, through the militarization of the Caribbean region and its threats against the Venezuelan people.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister, in a message to Guterres, says: We condemn equating Venezuela and the United States as two equal parties when calling for a reduction of tensions.
An Israeli drone attacked a vehicle in the town of Toul, Nabatieh District: Al Mayadeen's correspondent
Barrack: Damascus will now actively assist us in confronting and dismantling the remnants of ISIS, the IRGC, Hamas, Hizballah, and other networks
On the visit of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to the White House, US envoy Tom Barrack: This week marks a decisive turning point in the modern history of the Middle East
Israeli media citing Occupation President Herzog: I received official request from Trump to consider pardoning Netanyahu
Maduro: The comprehensive defense command, which unites all public military institutions and all popular forces, must be activated in the early hours of this morning

Murdoch calls Trump election claims, top advisors 'crazy' in emails

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 18 Feb 2023 00:06
3 Min Read

The 192-page filing presents Murdoch constantly expressing fear over Fox's coverage of the election results. 

  • x
  • Billionaire Rupert Murdoch and former US president Donald Trump at the latter's Golf Links court in 2016 (Reuters)
    Billionaire Rupert Murdoch and former US president Donald Trump at the latter's Golf Links court in 2016 (Reuters)

Billionaire Rupert Murdoch called Donald Trump's 2020 election claims "crazy" in a series of emails to senior Fox News executives even when anchors on his own media group continued to feed into Trump's allegations.

Documents on Thursday demonstrated that also some of Fox News' prominent hosts like Tucker Carlson mocked in private Trump's advisors who were claiming that Joe Biden lost the election to Trump. 

The filings come as part of vote machine maker Dominion's defamation lawsuit for $1.6 billion against Fox News in March 2021, claiming that the latter fed Trump's false allegations, which included that Dominion was used to manipulate the election results. 

At the time when Trump advisors Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell were megaphoning the claim in November 2020, Murdoch reacted by writing an email to the chief executive of Fox News Media, Suzanne Scott. The subject line, "Watching Giuliani!" was followed by "Really crazy stuff. And damaging." 

At another time, he emailed: "Terrible stuff damaging everybody, I fear."

Read next: Murdoch terminates proposal to merge Fox Corp. and News Corp

Dominion is also suing Giuliani and Powell. 

Related News

DC panel recommends disbarring Rudy Giuliani over 2020 elections

Giuliani faces ethics charges over role in Trump re-election bid

'A complete nut'

The 192-page filing presents Murdoch constantly expressing fear over Fox's coverage of the election results. 

Three days after the election, Murdoch wrote to Scott again, "If Trump becomes a sore loser, we should watch (host) Sean (Hannity) especially and others don't sound the same." 

In the lawsuit, Dominion claims that Fox News endorses Trump's claims because it was losing an audience after becoming the first TV to predict Arizona's win for Biden. In another email, Murdoch is seen telling Scott, "Getting creamed by CNN! Guess our viewers don't want to watch it." 

Carlson told Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham in an email that Sidney Powell "is lying by the way. I caught her. It's insane," to which Ingraham responded, "Sidney is a complete nut. No one will work with her. Ditto with Rudy."

One email shows anchor Sean Hannity said, "Rudy is acting like an insane person."

In light of the accumulation of events, Fox News released a statement, saying, "There will be a lot of noise and confusion generated by Dominion and their opportunistic private equity owners," adding, "But the core of this case remains about freedom of the press and freedom of speech, which are fundamental rights afforded by the Constitution."

To win the trial, Dominion will have to show proof of Fox News acting with actual malice, and if the parties do not end up settling, the case could go into a civil trial. 

Murdoch’s media empire, which includes flagship paper The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, labeled Trump a "loser" in November who was responsible for putting the Republicans into “one political fiasco after another." Republican senators blamed the MAGA mogul for their party's losses. 

Trump, in return, accused Murdoch of going “all in” by backing Florida governor Ron DeSantis who he dubbed “Ron DeSanctimonious” and an “average Republican governor." On November 9, Trump warned DeSantis against making a bid for the White House in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections.

  • US elections 2020
  • Fox News
  • Dominion
  • Sidney Powell
  • US
  • Rudy Giuliani
  • Rupert Murdoch
  • Tucker Carlson
  • Donald Trump

Most Read

Yemen busts CIA-Mossad-Saudi spy network operating from Saudi Arabia

Yemen busts CIA-Mossad-Saudi spy network operating from Saudi Arabia

  • Politics
  • 8 Nov 2025
US-backed ‘New Gaza’ plan draws Arab fury over 'partition' fears: FT

US-backed ‘New Gaza’ plan draws Arab fury over 'partition' fears: FT

  • Politics
  • 8 Nov 2025
The Western imperialists are not make-believe imperialists, but the real thing. All of their cruelty and uncaring of human life and dignity stand bare today for the entire world to see. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Imperialism and the war in Ukraine

  • Opinion
  • 10 Nov 2025
The Arab National Conference in Beirut, Lebanon on Friday, November 7, 2025

Arab National Congress in Beirut reaffirms centrality of Resistance

  • Politics
  • 7 Nov 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid drive through Gaza City after entering via the Zikim crossing, northern Gaza Strip, Thursday, November 13, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Khan Younis warns for 900,000 displaced as storm approaches

ap
Politics

Trump tells MBS to advance 'Israel' ties despite Gaza truce breaches

Israeli troops move along the Gaza Strip, in southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli regime seeks 20-year US security pact to secure long-term aid

FILE - A destroyed statue of late Syrian President Hafez Assad is seen in Dayr Atiyah, Syria, on Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
Politics

Post-Assad Syria rebuilt for US power, not its people: Opinion

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS