Fox News' Andrew Napolitano says both of Trump's claims about him aren't true
Fox News' Andrew Napolitano says President Trump's Twitter attack on him was "brilliant" — and false.
Trump on Saturday had blasted Napolitano after the Fox News analyst said Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report shows he obstructed justice. Citing a rebuttal from Alan Dershowitz, Trump said Napolitano's argument was "dumb." He went on to claim that Napolitano has been "very hostile" to him ever since he turned him down for a Supreme Court seat, also saying Napolitano asked him to pardon a friend.
Napolitano responded in a Fox Business interview on Monday by saying neither of these claims is true. Instead, Napolitano says he simply described what an ideal Supreme Court nominee would look like and Trump incorrectly suggested he was talking about himself. Napolitano says he did then make the case for himself on the Supreme Court, but only at Trump's request.
Subscribe to 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.
Napolitano also said that Trump during their private conversation was the one to ask whether he thought a mutual friend's conviction was just, to which he responded he thought it was. According to Napolitano, it was Trump who responded that this friend would be put on a list of potential pardons.
Apparently, Napolitano, who explained he has been friends with Trump for 30 years, doesn't have any hard feelings about these attacks. "I thought the president's comments were brilliant," Napolitano said. "He wanted to divert attention from what Mueller had said about him, and what I had commented about Mueller, to his relationship with me." Napolitano did wonder, though, if "this is how you treat you friends, how do you treat your enemies? Oh boy." Brendan Morrow
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Trump, Musk sink spending bill, teeing up shutdown
Speed Read House Republicans abandoned the bill at the behest of the two men
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Congress reaches spending deal to avert shutdown
Speed Read The bill would fund the government through March 14, 2025
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Luigi Mangione charged with murder, terrorism
Speed Read Magnione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ex-FBI informant pleads guilty to lying about Bidens
Speed Read Alexander Smirnov claimed that President Joe Biden and his son Hunter were involved in a bribery scheme with Ukrainian energy company Burisma
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
South Korea impeaches president, eyes charges
Speed Read Yoon Suk Yeol faces investigations on potential insurrection and abuse of power charges
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden sets new clemency record, hints at more
Speed Read President Joe Biden commuted a record 1,499 sentences and pardoned 39 others convicted of nonviolent crimes
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Mysterious drones roil New Jersey, prompt FBI inquiry
Speed Read State and federal officials are both stumped and concerned
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
South Korean president vows to fight removal
Speed Read Yoon Suk Yeol defended his martial law decree and said he will not step down, despite impeachment efforts
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published