‘Fox and Friends’: Is NBC’s Sandy Telethon Timed to Help Obama? (Video)

One panelist's complaint: The telethon may be too soon

Sure, NBC may claim that its telethon tonight is about raising money for victims of Hurricane Sandy. But could it also be a plot to help President Obama?

"Fox and Friends" host Steve Doocy and guest host Eric Bolling (left) refuse to accept the widely held assumption that performers like Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi are merely trying to help people in their ravaged home state of New Jersey, as well as in New York.

Also read: Hurricane Sandy Telethon to Include Springsteen, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, Mary J. Blige 

The telethon will air tonight on NBC at 8/7c.

"Good intention, raise some money for victims, but the timing is more than suspect," Bolling said. "Is this more political? Is this more, let's get this thing on TV before the election to help President Obama look more presidential? Or is it more to help out victims?"

"It does look like they're trying to squeeze it in," said Doocy. He noted that during a Hurricane Katrina telethon in 2005, Kanye West famously said that President Bush "doesn't care about black people."

Also read: Fox News' Roger Ailes Offered Condoleeza Rice 'Off-the-Record' Help

"How's NBC going to control what people say?" Doocy asked.

The pair noted that Springsteen and Bon Jovi are Obama supporters. Billy Joel, another participant, has also given money to Obama and played at least one benefit for him.

"Where are the conservative performers?" Doocy asked, later wondering, "Is it a hurricane benefit or a concert for Obama?"

Bolling also offered the glaringly unique perspective that the telethon may be occurring to soon. He said that either a 9/11 or Katrina telethon — he couldn't recall which — was held ten days after the disaster. (The 9/11 telethon was held ten days later; the Katrina event came within a week of the storm hitting.)

"It let the city get its feet under itself first before they went to this," Bolling said. "This just seems like a rush job because the election is gonna be three days after that."

Earlier this week, NewsCorp., which owns Fox News, gave $1 million to Sandy relief — without waiting to "let the city get its feet under itself."

NBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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