Navarro Denies He Targeted Bartiromo
White House Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing Peter Navarro went on Newsmax with Greg Kelly and pushed back on the claim that he dragged Maria Bartiromo into trouble at Fox. Navarro said, “Absolutely not,” when asked about the charge. He said the text was sent to him, and that he had a duty to forward it. He also said Bartiromo was “aghast” at what the network was doing. That is a neat little glimpse into modern cable news, where everyone says they love hard-hitting coverage right up until the hard-hitting coverage hits near the front office.
The Text at the Center of the Fight
Navarro said Bartiromo had booked him for the morning after President Trump’s July 16 primetime address about Chinese Communist Party capabilities to interfere in U.S. elections, including alleged access to more than 200 million voter files. According to Navarro, Fox killed the coverage, and Bartiromo forwarded him the producer text that confirmed it. Navarro previously published the message, which he said came from Fox Business programming chief Ralph Giordano: “Hi – We don’t want to promote it or push to the speech at all. We don’t want to do 2020 election segments at all Thurs or Friday.” In other words, the alleged problem was not a lack of news. It was the wrong kind of news.
Bartiromo’s Status Remains Disputed
The Gateway Pundit reported that Bartiromo vanished from her three Fox platforms after more than 12 years, with Fox issuing a brief announcement on September 3 and removing her name from Mornings with Maria, Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street, and Sunday Morning Futures. President Trump later praised her on Truth Social as “a total professional, and a true warrior.” Bartiromo’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has disputed reports that she was fired or is no longer employed by Fox, calling those reports “absolutely and unequivocally false” and saying her legal team has evidence and witnesses. Fox, according to Entertainment Weekly, stood by its original announcement and said the release “speaks for itself.” Corporate communications: where clarity goes to wear a gray suit.
Navarro Takes Aim at Fox Leadership
On Newsmax, Navarro argued that the bigger issue is whether Fox should still be seen as friendly to Trump or MAGA voters. He accused Fox CEO Suzanne Scott of enforcing limits on what gets discussed, saying the network will offer viewers “red meat” on easier culture-war topics but draws the line at some MAGA issues. Navarro pointed to Lou Dobbs, Tucker Carlson, and now Bartiromo as examples of high-profile figures who were pushed out or removed from the air. He said firing names like Carlson, Dobbs, and Bartiromo creates fear among other anchors and keeps them “in line.” That is a serious charge, though Fox has not accepted Navarro’s framing.
Kelly Presses on Who Saw the Message
Greg Kelly asked Navarro who he showed the text to, but Navarro declined to name names. He said, “I’m not going to get into the details,” and referenced his prison sentence, saying he went to prison for not violating executive privilege. Navarro said “the White House” let Scott know that the situation was unacceptable, and he claimed Scott then “went out and fired Maria Bartiromo.” Bartiromo’s attorney disputes that she was fired, and Fox has stood by its statement, so the paper trail is not as clean as either side’s public posture would suggest. As usual, the viewers get the bill while the institutions argue over the receipt.
Watch the Newsmax Clip
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