Fox Apoplectic Over Colbert Testimony: Megyn Kelly Demands Apology, Rep. Steve King Calls Him A Liar

[jefferson_dem]

Fox Apoplectic Over Colbert Testimony: Megyn Kelly Demands Apology, Rep. Steve King Calls Him A Liar

This afternoon, Fox News host Megyn Kelly invited Rep. Steve King (R-IA) to discuss Stephen Colbert’s testimony on Capitol Hill today about migrant labor conditions. King — who is a member of the House Judiciary subcommittee that held today’s hearing — said, “There was no rational reason for him to be there.”

Explaining the reason for his appearance today, Colbert told the committee he was “happy to use my celebrity to draw attention to this important, complicated issue, and I certainly hope that my star power can bump this hearing all the way up to C-Span 1.” Conceding Colbert’s success in this regard, King said, “There were more cameras in the room than I’ve seen in a long time.”

Nevertheless, Megyn Kelly was furious over Colbert’s testimony. “Congressman, do you think Zoe Lofgren owes this country an apology for wasting our taxpayer dollars and your time?” she asked. But King wouldn’t bite. “To make a blanket request like that, I don’t know,” he said. King then proceeded to call Colbert a liar:

She and Stephen Colbert among them disparaged the people who do hard work in America everyday. That she went out and did some work on this farm, and Stephen Colbert did some work on this farm. I pointed out he was actually unpacking a crate of sweet corn, and it has to be going in the other direction if it’s going to be shipped off the farm. … I don’t think he had his facts right. I saw the video. And the video looks to me like it was staged. … He didn’t do real work.

Watch it:

Colbert addressed King’s complaint during this morning’s hearing. “I was packing corn — I was a corn-packer,” he said matter-of-factly. “I put it in the trucks and I iced it down, keep it at 38 degrees so that it wouldn’t go through the process where the sugar turns into starch. And we got the corn out that day. I was a corn-packer.”

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), who was critical of Colbert’s appearance early in the hearing, was convinced by the end of it. “I thought he was pretty profound,” Conyers said.

VIDEO at LINK - http://thinkprogress.org/2010/09/24/fox-apoplectic-colbert/

[Kookaburra]

1. Well let's just hope little Megyn holds her breath

until she gets one.

[Uzybone]

2. why was Conyers critical at first?

isn't Colbert a citizen?

[Renew Deal]

5. Colbert went "in character"

So in a way, no. I still think he did a good job of bringing attention to the issue.

[Renew Deal]

3. I saw the video last night and Colbert was packing corn.

:shrug:

[Bitwit1234]

4. Of course there was no reason for a voice that is not a politican

to be there. I suppose they are upset because they didn't have a rabid republican or a tea bag messing all over the seat. Should we send Megan some diapers and tell her to share them with vitter he might have run out by now.

[Tansy_Gold]

7. Any party that elects a B-movie actor to the nation's highest office

has no fucking room to criticize. . . . . ANYTHING.



'Nuff said.



TG, NTY

[StatGirl]

9. +10000!

[karynnj]

11. Hearings always have non-politicians

Here Colbert, whether in character or as himself, did have first hand knowledge of the type of work he was describing. Now in his case, he does bring his celebrity, but there have been hearings where "regular" people have provided insight and points of views that end up helping create a different policy. Last year at the first "round table" SFRC hearing, a woman from MA, who had lived outside Kandahar for several years spoke of an idea to help turn Afghan farmers from growing poppies. She suggested that the coalition pay them to nurture new apricot, pomegranate and almond orchards for the (I think %) years before they become productive. Her point - they would have more status, respect and self- respect as orchard owners than as owners of poppy fields. Once the orchard matured, it would provide as much TO THEM as poppies do - so there would be no incentive for them to return to growing poppies. Many of the people more typical for hearings - diplomats and think tank people all were intrigued - as were the Senators.

I assume the Chair of the committee has good reason to know that people with no official position can influence a committee's and the country's thinking - after all John Kerry famously spoke before the very committee he chaired. (He so impressed Senator Pell, that Pell expressed his hope that Kerry would one day be on the committee.)

[jenmito]

6. The lie about it being "on the tax-payers' dime" has been repeated on Faux a few times...

Colbert responded to Gretchen Carlson's same claim saying that he payed for everything himself-but the water given to him and the electricity for the use of his microphone.

[Supersedeas]

13. Megan does have to be correct on the facts...just convincing and powdered

[jenmito]

14. You mean "doesn't" have to be correct. Right? n/t

[Beaverhausen]

8. the look on King's face during Colbert's testimony was priceless!

he was PISSED!!! :rofl:

[flpoljunkie]

10. Both NBC and ABC trashed Colbert. Obvious they're still smarting from WH Correspondents' dinner

when he took them to school and exposed them for the craven toadies they are! In fact, the lead story on both NBC NIghtly News and ABC Evening News.

[Enthusiast]

12. K&R! Good, maybe their

head will explode.

[tanyev]

15. Yeah, well, I think Ms. Kelly could go apoplectic over a hangnail.

[speppin]

16. You forgot to include that Steny Hoyer on Sunday

morning talk show said many times it was inappropriate.

[vaberella]

17. Meh, I thought Colbert was a prick in the beginning of his statement.

I'm not asking for an apology, but I found it uncool.