" 'Weak' is a word the mainstream press will give to all Republicans always, as a precursor to killing them off. ... It saddens me. America used to be able to get straight journalism."
Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesFox News boss Roger Ailes is defending Douglas Kennedy in the wake of criminal charges against the correspondent and son of Robert Kennedy.
Kennedy, who was arraigned last Thursday in Westchester County, N.Y., faces charges of child endangerment and harassment stemming from a Jan. 7 incident where he attempted to take his newborn son, Bo, out of a hospital’s maternity ward for some “fresh air.” A pair of nurses accuse the newsman of resisting their orders to remain on the floor, with surveillance camera footage capturing a scene in which one nurse was allegedly kicked to the ground.
“I have known Douglas Kennedy, his wife and his family professionally and personally for over 15 years,” Ailes said in a statement to Mediabistro’s TVNewser site. “He tells the truth and his calm and gentle demeanor always impressed me. He is the definition of a great father and it is a role he cherishes over all others.”
Meanwhile, Kennedy — who also faces misdemeanor charges for the alleged attack — is fighting the claims alongside wife Molly Kennedy, accusing the nurses of assaulting him. A doctor who witnessed the incident has sided with the family. Kennedy’s mother is Ethel Kennedy, with whom RFK had 11 children.
“I support Douglas as do the independent eyewitness accounts of the event,” said Ailes. “It is unfortunate that what appears to be a father’s defensive maneuver to protect his newborn baby has been twisted because of his famous name. In my view, the real moral of this story should be don’t try to grab a baby from the arms of a loving father.”
