Jesse Watters on New Yorker's Jane Mayer, Al Franken piece
Jesse Watters on New Yorker's Jane Mayer, Al Franken piece
Writer Jane Mayer's interview with Al Franken for the New Yorker is a ploy to rehabilitate the former Democratic senator's image, according to Jesse Watters.
Mayer's story, "The Case of Al Franken," is not a true work of journalism, and the author has a history of mainly criticizing Republicans, Watters claimed Tuesday on "The Five."
"Jane Mayer, who did this piece, is not a real journalist," he charged.
"She is an advocate for the Democrats. This was a puff piece to rehab his image and his career. She didn't treat anybody the same way as she had treated Al Franken.
"Why doesn't she look at some of the sexual harassment settlements in Congress?"
NEW YORKER'S JANE MAYER, WHO ONCE VILIFIED KAVANAUGH, RIPPED FOR FRANKEN FEATURE
In addition, Watters said he believed Mayer was a "real headache" for former President George W. Bush during his term while accusing the author of letting "Obama off the hook."
Last year, during the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Mayer published a critical profile on the longtime District of Columbia jurist.
Mayer, along with journalist Ronan Farrow, famously penned a widely criticized Sept. 2018 piece that detailed sexual misconduct allegations against then-nominee Kavanaugh.
The piece about the justice was essentially the polar opposite of her most recent work about Franken, D-Minn., who stepped down in 2017 at the height of the #MeToo movement following a wave of sexual misconduct allegations against him that ranged from groping to forcibly trying to kiss women.
In an apparent reference to the contrast, Watters claimed Democrats and their supporters often, "care about due process" for themselves while accusations against Republicans mostly tend to be, "convictions."
Watters added Franken's resignation-under-pressure coincided with Democrats' fervent attempts to draw attention to allegations of sexual misconduct against then-Alabama Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore.
"This was in the context of the Democrats wanting to look pure while they were trying to attack Roy Moore," he said.
"They were going to get killed with whataboutisms if they had stuck behind Al Franken."
"The Five" panel, however, noted one prominent Democrat, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, continued to stand by her decision to call for the onetime "Saturday Night Live" star's resignation from Congress.
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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