On the set of “Morning Joe” Thursday, host Joe Scarborough seemed keen on reviving his famously nasty feud with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
On set with Vanity Fair’s Gabe Sherman, Scarborough opted for a little concern trolling, speculating about whether conspiracy-minded hosts like Sean Hannity might derail Rupert Murdoch’s dream to acquire European media giant Sky News.
“We have heard that Rupert Murdoch is very concerned,” said Scarborough. “What are the Murdochs thinking when they’re seeing Sean Hannity or other people? Are they not concerned anymore that this is going to impact Sky?”
Unlike a normal purchase, the Sky deal must be approved by the British regulatory agency Ofcom, which has been considering Fox News’ sexual harassment allegations as part of its approval process.
Sherman said the sharp right turn at Fox News over the last several weeks might be an attempt to curry favor with President Donald Trump in hopes he might influence the U.S. Justice Department’s own investigation of the network’s personnel practices.
“There is an open federal investigation into Fox News looking at the way they perhaps used company money to cover up Roger Ailes’ sexual harassment settlement. That is a major problem,” Sherman said.
“Perhaps is [Hannity] cozying up to Trump with this completely over-the-top coverage,” he continued. “Perhaps because he hopes that the Trump White House will shut down this federal investigation.”