According to New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman, former Alaska governor and Republican Vice presidential candidate and current Fox News Channel contributor Sarah Palin sought advice from FNC CEO Roger Ailes following the shooting in Tucson.
Palin wanted to respond to claims being made that she was in some way responsible for the shooting.
“Lie low,” he said. “There’s no need to inject yourself into the story.”
AdvertisementPalin told Ailes that other people had given her that same advice. Her lawyer Bob Barnett is said to have cautioned her about getting involved. The consensus in some corners of Palin’s camp was that she faced considerable risks if she spoke out.
But, this being Sarah Palin, she did it anyway.
Ailes was not pleased with her decision, which turned out to be a political debacle for Palin, especially her use of the historically loaded term “blood libel” to describe the actions of the media. “The Tucson thing was horrible,” said a person familiar with Ailes’s thinking. “Before she responded, she was making herself look like a victim. She was winning. She went out and did the blood libel thing, and Roger is thinking, ‘Why did you call me for advice?’”