Bill O’Reilly adopted an old role — unofficial Donald Trump counselor — on Monday evening’s Talking Points segment. Since Trump’s occupied with presidential duties lately, O’Reilly had to settle for talking through the small screen after a bad Trump day. First, FBI Director James Comey told the House Intel Committee that the agency’s investigation into Russian ties with the Trump campaign is totally happening, and then Comey said there was no evidence to support Trump’s bogus wiretapping claims against Obama. In the above video (from 0:20 to 3:00), the host levels with Trump.
O’Reilly approaches the subject in a matter-of-fact way. He agrees with Trump that finding the “leakers” should be a priority, but he tosses out some tough love. O’Reilly realizes that Trump made his claim when he was seriously upset that Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from Russia-Trump matters, and O’Reilly knows that continued digging on Russia greatly upsets Trump. And while O’Reilly feels (unrealistically) optimistic that the FBI’s investigation won’t yield any more Russian ties, he says that Trump has hurt himself by angrily lashing out with the wiretapping accusations:
“However, that controversy is what drove President Trump to accuse President Obama … Mr. Trump is so infuriated that the media has obsessed on the alleged Russia connection, that he lashed out … Problem is, there’s no evidence that anything happened at the Trump Tower … The accusation that President Obama was actively involved in harming the Trump campaign has now harmed the president himself.”
Yes, the host knows that Trump is watching because he’s a cable-news addict, and still, he doesn’t hold back: “In the future, President would be wise to embrace only facts in his pronouncements.” In other words, O’Reilly tells his friend that there shall be no more reliance upon right-wing conspiracy theories, which he’s done twice during this wiretapping nonsense — while accusing both Obama and British intelligence.
Will Trump listen? Magic 8-Ball says, “Reply hazy. Try again later.”