Trump’s latest ask of Fox News is ‘arguably against the law’: media analyst

Donald Trump ’s idea of demanding Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch stop the network from airing “negative commercials” about him for the remainder of the election could be against the law, a CNN media analyst said Friday, adding that the former president’s comments show he is clearly bothered by the attack ads.

“Here’s the interesting thing: Trump asking Fox to ban anti-Trump ads is arguably against the law,” CNN media analyst Brian Stelter told anchor Wolf Blitzer on Friday night. “Fox operates local TV stations across the country that are subject to FCC oversight. The FCC has rules in place that require stations to be fair about airing political ads. For example, they can’t just run a Republican’s ads and not run a Democrat’s ads.”

Stelter’s warning came hours after Trump appeared on “Fox & Friends,” where he told the show’s hosts that he’s going to ask Murdoch “something very simple I can't talk to anybody else about. Don't put on negative commercials for 21 days.”

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“And don't put on — there are horrible people who come and lie,” he said.

Aside from possibly being illegal, Stelter added that Trump’s latest gripe shows the Republican presidential nominee “is clearly concerned that attack ads are working.”

“Negative ads against him are really bothering him and he's saying he's going to complain about it to the patriarch of Fox, Rupert Murdoch." He told Blitzer that a Fox spokesman would not confirm to him if Trump and Murdoch actually met today.

But the bottom line, according to Stelter, is clear: “Rupert Murdoch is never going to turn down anyone’s advertising money.”

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