“As many of our viewers know, Fox News is hosting a sanctioned debate in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday night, three days before the first votes of the 2016 election are cast in the Iowa Caucus,” the statement reads. “Donald Trump is refusing to debate seven of his fellow presidential candidates on stage that night, which is near unprecedented. We’re not sure how Iowans are going to feel about him walking away from them at the last minute, but it should be clear to the American public by now that this is rooted in one thing — Megyn Kelly, whom he has viciously attacked since August and has now spent four days demanding be removed from the debate stage.”
“Capitulating to politicians’ ultimatums about a debate moderator violates all journalistic standards, as do threats, including the one leveled by Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski toward Megyn Kelly,” the statement continued. “In a call on Saturday with a Fox News executive, Lewandowski stated that Megyn had a ‘rough couple of days after that last debate’ and he ‘would hate to have her go through that again.’ Lewandowski was warned not to level any more threats, but he continued to do so. We can’t give in to terrorizations toward any of our employees. Trump is still welcome at Thursday night’s debate and will be treated fairly, just as he has been during his 132 appearances on Fox News and Fox Business, but he can’t dictate the moderators or the questions.”
Trump turned on Kelly after a GOP debate in August, when Kelly asked him about his electability given comments he’s made about women and how he called them “fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals” on Twitter. Trump responded by saying, “Only Rosie O’Donnell.” Trump ended up slamming Kelly after the debate for her “ridiculous” questions and how “there was blood coming out of her eyes … blood coming out of her wherever.”
Trump later said his comments had nothing to do with Kelly’s menstrual period.
For her part, Kelly went on to say she wouldn’t apologize to Trump and “for doing good journalism.”
Earlier Tuesday, Trump announced that he would not participate in the debate, posting a statement from his campaign. “Mr. Trump knows when to walk away,” the statement read in part. “Roger Ailes and FOX News think they can toy with him, but Mr. Trump doesn’t play games.”
While campaigning Tuesday, Trump reportedly quipped “let’s see how much money Fox is going to make on the debate without me.”ew
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