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Will Sommer Profile picture
@willsommer
Feb 17, 2023 • 11 tweets • 6 min read • Read on X
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This filing in the Dominion lawsuit against Fox News is one of the most remarkable documents I've ever seen. Filled with private texts between Fox stars like Hannity and Carlson, plus Murdoch, all admitting they knew Fox's stolen election claims were lies. int.nyt.com/data/documentt…
The texts show Fox trapped in a dilemma of its own making, afraid to admit the election was honest bc they'll lose viewers to Newsmax. Tucker rages and tries to get Fox reporter @JacquiHeinrich fired after she admits the election wasn't stolen.
Here's Rupert Murdoch telling Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott to focus on winning the GA Senate races for Republicans, "helping any way we can."
Fox got into Dominion conspiracy theories in the first place because Sidney Powell got a deranged email from someone who thought she was a ghost, and Antonin Scalia was murdered in a Most Dangerous Game-style "human hunting expedition."
Tucker Carlson repeatedly frets in text messages to his producer that Trump is a "demonic force" who could "destroy" him if Carlson missteps: "He's the
undisputed world champion of that. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong."
The Fox messages reveal Fox brass and top hosts tearing into Rudy Giuliani.

Hannity: Rudy's "an insane person."

Ingraham: "Such an idiot."

Murdoch: "Really crazy stuff."
A fascinating detail about Fox's relationship with MyPillow tycoon Mike Lindell, their most important advertiser — after Lindell insulted Fox in a Newsmax appearance, Fox sent him a gift and a handwritten note from their CEO to win him back.
Tucker Carlson emerges in the the court filing as absolutely freaking out after the election— hearing from angry viewers and worrying that Fox calling AZ for Biden will kill his golden goose, while also afraid "fucking bitch" Sidney Powell has gone too far.
Some interesting details about Jeanine Pirro in the Fox News messages: a Fox exec felt sure she was looking for a job at a competitor like Newsmax, and Fox cancelled her Nov. 7 show because they were afraid she'd push stolen election theories: "She is crazy."
The Dominion filing offers the best look inside Fox's internal operations that we've had in years, maybe ever. It shows Fox operating as many suspected: no compunctions about lying to viewers, and desperately tacking right to avoid losing market share to competitors like Newsmax.
Finally: if you liked this thread on Fox and Dominion, you'll love Trust the Plan, my book on QAnon and the rise of conspiracy theories in America. It's coming out on Tuesday, available for preorder now! harpercollins.com/products/trust…

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More from @willsommer

Will Sommer Profile picture
Feb 5, 2025
Right-wing media is melting down today over the erroneous idea that Politico is secretly funded by USAID. Here's the backstory:

-Politico missed payroll yesterday because of a tech issue.
-MAGA supporters took that as proof that Politico is secretly bankrolled by USAID, whose programs have been suspended by Trump.
-They seized on USASpending.gov pages showing the entire US gov paid Politico $8.2 million last year, wrongly assuming all that money came from USAID alone.
-That money appears to be for Politico Pro subscriptions, which cost thousands of dollars a year. Nonetheless! Lots of MAGA personalities still mad, now Dana Loesch wants a protest at Politico's office.Image
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The irony here is that Benny Johnson, a key popularizer of this secret Politico funding theory, actually was himself secretly and illegally paid millions of dollars by the Russian government. He claims he didn't know the money was from Russia. washingtonpost.com/style/media/20…
Politico mania has made it to the floor of Congress! In an oversight hearing today, Lauren Boebert falsely claimed that Politico is laying people off now that they've been cut off from their secret USAID funds. "They can no longer sustain themselves."
Read 4 tweets
Will Sommer Profile picture
Sep 4, 2024
This indictment alleges that right-wing commentators like Dave Rubin, Benny Johnson, Tim Pool, and Lauren Southern — as part of the "Tenet Media" YouTube channel — have been unwittingly working for a Russian influence operation.
Two people described in the Tenet indictment as unnamed "founders" were very aware their operation was funded by Russians.

Tenn. biz records list Tenet's founders as BlazeTV host and TPUSA contributor Lauren Chen aka "Roaming Millennial," and her husband.
Funny moment in the Tenet indictment: a Tenet founder, who have told Youtubers their funding is coming from a Western European businessman, emails the investor for more money. When no one responds, Tenet's founder drops the pretense and googles "time in Moscow" Image
Read 7 tweets
Will Sommer Profile picture
Mar 8, 2023
Lots of big revelations coming out tonight in the exhibits to Dominion's lawsuit against Fox News.

Days before Jan. 6, Tucker Carlson wrote in a text message exchange about Trump: "I hate him passionately" and "I truly can't wait" to ignore him.
The exhibits include hot new details on the source of the Dominion hoax, a woman who believes herself a ghost who was "internally decapitated" in a car accident.

She claims Scalia was killed during a human hunting expedition, and advises Powell not to join that hunting club
The new Dominion exhibits include a text message exchange where Steve Bannon tries to recruit "depressed" Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo to run for Senate herself against Chuck Schumer.
Read 5 tweets
Will Sommer Profile picture
Feb 1, 2023
We have a big story today on Eliza Bleu, the self-proclaimed trafficking victim who's been embraced by Elon Musk and right-wing stars like Tim Pool.

Now Bleu's own friends say the details of her trafficking stories don't make sense.

Thread:

thedailybeast.com/eliza-bleus-ow…
Eliza Bleu has told grim stories of her life, claiming she was addicted to meth and forced to live in a gang-land apartment by a high profile athlete. But Bleu's former friends aren't buying it: “That is so not true. She lived in a really cute apartment." thedailybeast.com/eliza-bleus-ow…
Eliza Bleu's work as an advocate has been integral to Elon Musk's efforts to paint previous Twitter execs as soft on child abuse material. But Epstein survivors have been critical of her actions: "She clung to us all from out of nowhere."
Read 5 tweets
Will Sommer Profile picture
Jan 19, 2023
There's a big feud breaking out tonight between two of the biggest names in right-wing media. It pits Steven Crowder against Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire, all over a $50 million offer for Crowder that he found so offensive he leaked the terms of the offer.
Yesterday, Crowder—newly independent and trying to build his own media company—released the terms of the deal without naming DW. Crowder made this out to be a big whistleblower moment, urging his fans to fight "Big Con" (and join his email list, ofc).
Crowder focused on two parts of the offer: that he would lose money if he failed to deliver all of his contracted episodes, and that his money could be reduced if he was banned from YouTube or other platforms. He left out that this was over *$50 million* over 4 years.
Read 12 tweets
Will Sommer Profile picture
Dec 1, 2022
Kanye's InfoWars appearance is starting off great. Image
There's an interesting thing going on with the Kanye saga where these hucksters with big personalities rightly see him as a clout bonanza, but he doesn't let anyone talk — to the extent that he started his InfoWars appearance yelling at people off-camera to stop talking.
That's a reasonable trade for dumpsters-divers like Milo and Fuentes, who's now left sitting silently on stage today with Kanye. But for people like Tim Pool and Alex Jones, they have their own stages already and get a bit restless, inevitably irritating Kanye.
Read 7 tweets

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