Speed Reads

rejected

Rep. Eric Swalwell is eager to do a Fox News town hall but says he was turned down

As some Democratic candidates for president are turning down Fox News for town hall events, it's the other way around for one member of Congress.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), who announced his 2020 candidacy in April, told CNN on Wednesday he "would absolutely do a Fox town hall." This question was posed to him after Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said she turned down an event with the network, which she blasted as a "hate-for-profit racket."

Apparently, though, Fox has no interest in doing one with Swalwell. "They told us we can't have one which is a little bit confusing to us because they have given them to people who are polling at the same place as us," Swalwell told CNN. He went on to say that it's "frustrating" and decided the network must be "afraid to give me the opportunity."

A spokesperson for Fox denied this and told CNN that they've left the door open for a future opportunity with Swalwell. Fox Senior Vice President of News Bill Sammon previously said that the network's attitude on town halls is, "Let's do some town halls but be selective about it," The Washington Post reports.

The 2020 Democratic candidates, clearly, have very different opinions on the merits of going on Fox News, which the Democratic National Committee has decided not to hold 2020 debates with. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has already held a town hall with the network, as has Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), while the campaign of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) told journalist Yashar Ali on Wednesday she hasn't "entertained" an offer to do so. When Sanders' campaign manager was asked by CNN for a comment about Warren turning down Fox, he responded, "To each their own."