Fox News Snaps Back At Donald Trump’s Latest Attack On Megyn Kelly

Then it’s war! Fox News chairman Roger Ailes brought out his big guns in the network’s struggle with Republican front-runner and antagonist extraordinaire, Donald Trump.

After Trump took to Twitter to heap new vitriol on Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, Ailes released a no-holds-barred statement.

“Donald Trump’s surprise and unprovoked attack on Megyn Kelly during her show last night is as unacceptable as it is disturbing,” Ailes said, defending Kelly as representing “the very best of American journalism” and Fox News rejects Trump’s “crude and irresponsible attempts to suggest otherwise,” Ailes said.

Ailes said Kelly’s questioning of Trump during the first Republican debate was “tough but fair and I fully support her as she continues to ask the probing and challenging questions” that candidates find hard to answer.

“Donald Trump rarely apologizes, although in this case, he should,” the Fox News chairman wrote. And Ailes warned Trump as follows.

“We have never been deterred by politicians or anyone else attacking us for doing our job, much less allowed ourselves to be bullied by anyone and we’re certainly not going to start now.”

Trump did not apologize. He “disagreed,” as he put it in a rejoinder statement.

“I do not think Megyn Kelly is a quality journalist. I think her questioning of me, despite all the polls saying I won the debate, was very unfair. Hopefully in the future I will be proven wrong and she will be able to elevate her standards to a level of professionalism that a network such as Fox deserves.”

Kelly returned to the airwaves August 24, after a pre-planned vacation that Fox News reports was in the works well prior to the debate and any altercation with Trump. No sooner had she started broadcasting than the Donald took to Twitter, tweeting his own original schoolyard bully taunts and forwarding those of his followers.

Trump tweeted that Kelly “must have had a terrible vacation, she is really off her game. Was afraid to confront Dr. Cornel West. No clue on immigration!”

And a few minutes later, Trump posted: “I like The Kelly File much better without @megynkelly. Perhaps she could take another eleven day unscheduled vacation!”

“@mstanish53: @realDonaldTrump @megynkelly The bimbo back in town. I hope not for long.”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2015

And he retweeted a comment from a Twitter account, @mstanish53, that “The bimbo is back in town. I hope not for long.”

Ailes’ statement was just the leading edge of a Fox News-wide defense of Kelly and attack on Trump.

Bill Kilmeade said on Fox & Friends Tuesday morning that Trump “is totally out of control.” His Twitter attacks are “totally unwarranted.” Kilmeade added as follows.

“He is totally out of bounds reigniting that fight. I don’t know if he expects to get ratings out of that, or poll numbers, but he’s not going to be successful.”

Addressing Trump directly, Kilmeade said as follows.

“You cannot, you should not, keep going after her.”