'Do not go there!': Fox News hosts shout at each other in furious on-air row over Trump impeachment

Fox News hosts were left to shout over one another during the network’s coverage of the impeachment investigation into Donald Trump after being presented with the scale of public support for the president’s removal from office.

Four of the network’s pundits were quick to criticise liberal commentator Juan Williams, after he claimed it would be convenient for Republican Party if people paid little attention to the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Speaking on debate programme The Five, Mr Williams added: “The reality is, in an ABC news poll this weekend 70 per cent of Americans think that the president requesting that a foreign leader get dirt on his political rival is wrong.

“51 per cent – a majority of the American people, slight but still a majority – say not only impeach Trump but remove him," Mr Williams added.

“And get this, 21 per cent in this ABC poll said they’re not paying much attention so that should please my table, my colleagues, but you know what? The people who were paying attention for the first week? 66 per cent, two thirds, said impeach and remove”.

Co-hosts were quick to denounce the numbers put forward by Mr Williams, questioning the poll and turning the conversation towards blaming the Democratic Party.

Jeanine Pirro responded instantly to turn the focus onto the Democrats. “You know what they’re doing” she said, “They’re doing something that they don’t have to pay for. They don’t have to buy a political ad. They’re trashing the guy every day”.

When Mr Williams identified the argument as “weak”, the two co-hosts shouted over one another for almost 30 seconds – with Ms Pirro yelling “do not go there” as Mr Williams stated “for a judge you should know better”.

After the heated exchange died down the show’s Jesse Watters went on to say that “a lot of people” were “brainwashed by the mainstream media” – adding that they had other polls saying that “70 per cent of democrats think Trump’s a Russian agent”.

Co-host Greg Gutfeld meanwhile said Mr Trump was “suffering from full employment” so the “people that are working can’t watch the hearings“, claiming in reference to the public hearings that the President had “brought so many people back to work they can’t watch the brainwash going on”.

Their comments come as the public hearings into the president’s dealings with Ukraine continue.

Lt Col Alexander Vindman, director for European affairs at the national security council, used his time before the committee to complain of “vile character attacks” on other witnesses following a Twitter rant from the president.

And the former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, revealed she was advised by the US State Department to issue a public statement of loyalty to Mr Trump amid an ongoing smear campaign against her.

Read more

Republican turns on Trump over ‘not ok’ secret impeachment evidence