Fox & Friends Angered By Lenient Treatment of Christmas Tree Arson Suspect: ‘Hate Crime Against Fox News’
The War on Christmas is real.
Fox & Friends opened Thursday’s show with mixed emotions following the arson attack on their “All American Christmas Tree” outside their studios.
They were in part delighted with plans to light a new Christmas Tree during Thursday’s episode of The Five, complete with an appearance from Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan. (The All American Tree is risen today, Alleluia!)
They were also understandably aggrieved that the alleged arsonist Craig Tomanaha has been released without bail, due to new bail reform, or as Ainsley Earhardt noted, “He wasn’t eligible for the bail under these new liberal reform laws.”
“Here’s the thing. In New York, under the new liberal bail reform policies, arson is only a felony. You can only be held if it’s a felony if the suspect tries to harm a person or commit a hate crime,” Steve Doocy explained, “And apparently lighting a Christmas tree on fire is not a hate crime.”
On Wednesday night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson argued that the burning of a Christmas Tree is a hate crime as it is an attack on Christianity, which he accurately called the most popular religion in the world.
Fellow Fox News opinion hosts often take their cues from Tucker Carlson, which happened Thursday morning. Brian Kilmeade insisted that the Fox News All American Christmas tree burning was a hate crime before raising the stakes by calling it a personal attack against the network itself. “Who says it’s not a hate crime against us, against Fox News?
And just like that, you can see the next three weeks of Fox News opinion programming unfold before your eyes.
The arson attack on the Fox News Christmas tree is no question an awful thing. It is not yet clear precisely what the alleged suspect’s motive was, but it appears that mental illness was a significant factor.
But the burning of the All American Christmas Tree? It is perfectly emblematic of so much of what many conservative hosts believe: 1) Christianity is under attack; 2) Big Cities with Democratic mayors are lawless; 3) An opportunity for resilience in the face of adversity.
There is a decent argument to be made, sure, about burning a religious symbol. Is the burning of a Christmas Tree a hate crime? It’s not clear to me, but I guess a lot of it has to do with intent and motive.
Either way, it is a crime. The fact that the alleged arsonist is now out free gives Fox News opinion hosts suitable material to complain about overly lenient judicial reform.
Watch above via Fox News.
