Chris Wallace on DNC debate decision: Left has ‘Fox derangement syndrome’

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace on Thursday slammed the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) decision to not allow his network to host a presidential primary debate, saying the committee has “Fox derangement syndrome.”

“I think that the left wing of the party — you know how we talk about Trump derangement syndrome, or Obama? I think that [in] the left wing of the Democratic Party there is Fox derangement syndrome,” Wallace said on Brian Kilmeade’s Fox radio show.

“And even though they know that Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier and I would give a fair debate, the idea of anything with ‘Fox News presents the Democratic debate’ and they were just looking for an excuse and The New Yorker article gave it to them.”

{mosads}DNC Chairman Tom Perez announced Wednesday afternoon that Fox News would not be permitted to host any of its 12 scheduled primary debates after The New Yorker reported on the network’s close ties to President Trump.

“Recent reporting in The New Yorker on the inappropriate relationship between President Trump, his administration and FOX News has led me to conclude that the network is not in a position to host a fair and neutral debate for our candidates. Therefore, FOX News will not serve as a media partner for the 2020 Democratic primary debates,” Perez said in the statement.

Wallace joined several other Fox personalities in condemning the decision.

Host Bret Baier called it “really a shame” in a tweet Wednesday, saying Fox News’s fairness “speaks for itself.”

Howard Kurtz defended the network, arguing that Fox’s opinion writers and morning shows should not be lumped together with their news coverage.

Fox News senior vice president and managing editor Bill Sammon said he hoped the DNC would reconsider, citing Wallace, Baier and MacCallum, “all of whom embody the ultimate journalistic integrity and professionalism.”