Watch Megyn Kelly eviscerate Donald Trump over 'Mexican heritage' attack on judge


Megyn Kelly invited Bill Bennett, a conservative commentator and former education secretary, on Thursday's Kelly File to talk about House Speaker Paul Ryan's endorsement of Donald Trump. Instead, she focused most of his interview on late-breaking news: Trump had just told The Wall Street Journal that U.S. federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel has "an absolute conflict" in the Trump University fraud case he's adjudicating because he is "of Mexican heritage." Kelly, a lawyer, read some of Trump's quotes with evident disbelief, then asked Bennett, who also has a law degree, to weigh in.
"Bill, this is — you tell me," Kelly said. "I'm a journalist here at Fox News and I've been doing legal commentary here for 10 years — this is out of line." "Yeah, it's out of line," Bennett said. "And it's a shame, too, because it was a good day for Trump, with the Paul Ryan thing." He agreed with Kelly that ethnicity is no grounds for judging a judge, noting, "I'm Irish, that does not mean I support the IRA." Bennett is at least open to a President Trump, and he seemed more disappointed that Trump has not changed his tone than that the presumptive GOP presidential nominee doesn't appear to understand the law or the importance of an independent judiciary. So Kelly stepped back in.
Trump is "attacking a sitting federal judge — who, by the way, did a lot to fight the drug cartels when he was a prosecutor — based on his ethnicity, suggesting he has an inherent, inherent conflict of interest because of his heritage," she said. "'A Hispanic cannot judge a case against me' — that is what Trump is saying, explicitly, Bill! And let me tell you, when he does this, I guarantee you right now that this judge is getting threats, and vitriol, and who knows what else." Bennett offered a partial concurrence: "Yeah, he's got to pull back, he's got to think things through, he's got to get much better advice." Kelly clarified: "There is no conflict, there is no conflict of interest whatsoever, based on his ethnicity." They finally get to Ryan's endorsement in the final minute, and you can watch the entire exchange below. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot