Fox News obsessed with lone bootleg Black Panther
On the most important day in American politics, one of Fox News’s biggest stories has been about a lone New Black Panther Party member standing outside a Philadelphia polling place.
Fox News has featured several segments today on Jerry Jackson, who was charged in 2008 for voter intimidation, although the charges against him were later dropped. Jackson was spotted outside a Philadelphia polling place Tuesday morning, and Fox News confirmed Jackson is a designated poll watcher.
Fox News's "Fox & Friends" kicked off the coverage of the New Black Panther Party today at 8 a.m. with an interview with Get Out The Vet's Ben Brink about how Navy SEALs and other veterans will "fight back" against such voter intimidation from the New Black Panther Party. About 10 minutes later, Fox News's Gretchen Carlson introduced video of the man standing outside the polling place.
"This is a member of the Black Panthers standing guard outside a polling place in Philadelphia. Does it look reminiscent? Remember this from four years ago? The organization said it was thinking about monitoring the election. Critics say it's more like intimidation. The Black Panthers also stood guard at polling places in 2008 in Philly, the group's leader with a night stick in his hand. It looks very similar," she said.
On "Fox & Friends," conservative radio host Laura Ingraham and Fox News legal analyst Peter J. Johnson, Jr. also discussed the New Black Panther Party member.
During "America's Newsroom," Fox News’s Martha MacCallum played some “new video” of the New Black Panther Party member “standing guard outside a polling place opening doors as voters come through there to place their votes” and noted that a Fox News reporter tried to ask him about his role there.
“We got only a ‘no comment’ from this gentleman,” MacCallum said. “You may recall a big story that unfolded, this is the tape back from 2008. The New Black Panther Party members were accused of voter intimidation in Philadelphia back then. One of them was seen holding a billy club outside of that polling place. So what does this mean this morning?”
MacCallum then held a discussion on the topic with Fox News contributors Bill Kristol and Deroy Murdock. Later on, Fox News also conducted an interview with the Rev. Jesse Jackson about the New Black Panther Party member.