Laura Ingraham locks horn with Juan Williams over Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims during DNC coverage
WASHINGTON, DC: On the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, Fox News host Laura Ingraham and political analyst Juan Williams engaged in a heated exchange regarding former president Donald Trump’s unfounded claims about the 2020 election being stolen.
The intense debate unfolded during a segment of 'The Ingraham Angle', as the two, along with Kellyanne Conway, discussed the presidential race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Laura Ingraham criticizes voting ID policies
According to Mediaite, Laura Ingraham used the opportunity to critique the security measures at the United Center in Chicago, contrasting them with what she described as lenient voting access in blue states. “In blue states across the country, you don’t have to show an ID to vote, right?” Ingraham challenged Juan Williams.
“But to get into this arena you had to show your ID eight times! So Democrats want to protect themselves when push comes to shove. But they don’t want to protect the integrity of the vote, and the voting booth. What does that say about their real priorities? Protect themselves. Yeah. We know what that says.”
Juan Williams questions Laura Ingraham support for Donald Trump’s election fraud claims
Juan Williams responded sharply, questioning whether Laura Ingraham was aligning herself with Donald Trump’s allegations of widespread voter fraud. “Oh I see. Are you lining up with Trump and saying there was voter fraud and 2020 was a bogus election?” Williams asked. “You’re going back to the big steal? Come on Laura! You can do better. This is not good.”
Ingraham interjected, speaking over Williams as tensions rose. “You can yell but apparently you don’t understand the argument. Voter ID versus ID to get in here. Get out!” she exclaimed. “Don’t try to put words in my mouth,” she continued, with both parties shouting over one another. “ID, it’s a simple concept.”
Williams rebutted, emphasizing the lack of evidence for the claims of fraud. “And you have to do it to register to vote anywhere in America,” he stated. “You don’t have evidence of any fraud!”
Fox News faces legal fallout over 2020 election coverage
Fox News has faced significant backlash and legal challenges related to its coverage of the 2020 election. The network was sued for defamation by voting systems companies Dominion and Smartmatic for promoting Donald Trump’s false claims.
Fox settled with Dominion for a record $787.5 million, while the lawsuit with Smartmatic, which demands $2.7 billion, is still ongoing.
In response to these legal troubles, Fox has largely refrained from airing commentary that questions the legitimacy of the 2020 election. The network has even fired Lou Dobbs, a prominent proponent of election conspiracy theories, and ceased featuring Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell.
Internal communications released during the Dominion lawsuit revealed that some Fox News personalities, including Ingraham, privately expressed skepticism about the election claims.
In a private message, Ingraham referred to Sidney Powell as “a complete nut,” while discussing the election allegations with then-Fox host Tucker Carlson.
