Fox News “Strongly” Condemns Jeanine Pirro After Host Blasts Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar As “Sharia-Compliant”

Fox News on Sunday evening issued a rare condemnation of one of their own, host Jeanine Pirro, following her disparaging remarks about Muslim Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

“We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro’s comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar,” Fox News said in a statement. “They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly.”

Pirro — whose show Justice with Judge Jeanine is reportedly among President Donald Trump‘s favorite programs — received backlash for calling Omar’s hijab “antithetical” to the U.S. Constitution. The Fox News host also accused the 37-year-old Muslim congresswoman, who is Somali-American, of being “Sharia-compliant” and practicing “Sharia-adherence behavior.”

“Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law, which is antithetical to the U.S. Constitution?” Pirro asked.

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The former New York judge and prosecutor then clarified her remarks in a statement Sunday night in which she also invited Omar to come on her show.

“I’ve seen a lot of comments about my opening statement from Saturday night’s show and I did not call Rep. Omar un-American,” said Pirro. “My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don’t support the Constitution. I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing America today.”

A Muslim producer for Brett Baier, one of Pirro’s Fox News colleagues, blasted her on Twitter for her Islamophobic comments.

“@JudgeJeanine can you stop spreading this false narrative that somehow Muslims hate America or women who wear a hijab aren’t American enough?” associate producer Hufsa Kamal tweeted. “You have Muslims working at the same network you do, including myself. K thx.”

Fox News previously rebuked Pirro in November after she and Sean Hannity both appeared alongside Trump at a rally just days before the midterm elections.

Omar recently drew criticism of her own from both Democrats and Republicans for statements about an Israeli group that were perceived as anti-Semitic. The Democratic-controlled House voted last week to condemn anti-Semitism, although some lawmakers like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — who is Jewish — and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) defended Omar.

Article by Pablo Mena

Writer for uPolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

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