President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again dismissed the Russia investigation as a “Democratic hoax,” but Fox News host Shepard Smith was standing by with a fact check.
“The president again calling the Russia investigation a ‘Democratic hoax.’” Smith told viewers. “It is not. Fox News has been reporting and will continue to report that two people have pleaded guilty.”
Smith was referring to guilty pleas from former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos in relation to the Russia investigation.
Smith also slammed Trump for saying he planned to “take a strong look at our country’s libel laws.”
Trump has made similar claims in the past, saying he wants to make it easier to sue the media.
“You can’t say things that are false ― knowingly false ― and be able to smile as money pours into your bank account,” Trump said Wednesday.
The president has made 2,001 false or misleading claims in his first 355 days in office, according to The Washington Post.
On Fox News, Smith pointed out that Trump doesn’t have the power to change libel laws.
“All of that about libel laws, that was just a word salad of nothingness, because none of that means anything, except ‘look over here,’” Smith said. “He couldn’t change the libel laws if he wanted to change the libel laws, he couldn’t change them if he got the Congress in there. These are state laws, and that was nothing.”
Later, Smith got even more heated.
“He’s not a dictator. He’s not a king,” Smith said. “He can’t change the libel laws. That’s preposterous.”
Smith has called out Trump repeatedly on Fox News, last year debunking the president’s “inaccurate” claims about Uranium One and slamming his administration for “lies” and “deception” on Russia.
