On Friday, during coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech at the Munich Security Conference, an intense debate ensued between Fox & Friends anchor Lawrence Jones and Fox’s chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin regarding the prioritization of American foreign policy.
Harris’ remarks regarding the necessity of funding Ukraine were extensively covered by Fox & Friends, particularly in light of the news that Russian activist Alexei Navalny had perished in a Russian prison, an incident that Harris attributed to Russia and its president Vladimir Putin.
However, Jones expressed strong disapproval of her statement that certain individuals desire isolationism, claiming it was an inaccurate portrayal of those who preferred border security to foreign conflicts.
Griffin then joined the conversation via telephone, where she offered her evaluation of Harris’ statements and provided historical context regarding the debate surrounding American isolationism:
“[F]irst of all, it’s very clear that Vice President Harris said off the bat Russia is responsible for the death of Alexei Navalny. It was not “We’re going to wait and see.” It was not “We need to know more.” So that was a very strong statement from the vice president. It was also notable to me because I’ve covered many Munich conferences, security conferences over the years, and usually the leaders, American leaders are addressing Europeans, addressing allies. This had a domestic message, as Lawrence pointed out, and it was a very strong domestic message. And it talked about how Americans have a choice to make right now about whether to be global leaders, about America’s role in the world. You heard the vice president talk about whether it is in America’s interest to fight for democracy or accept the rise of dictators…”
Griffin continued on before being interrupted by her co-host who vehemently disagreed:
Jones: But Jennifer–
Griffin: Lawrence–
Jones: Respectfully–
Griffin: Lawrence, just a minute–
Jones: She’s phrasing it as a binary choice. And that’s not what many of the members of Congress are saying. They’re saying, “Yes, we will talk about Ukraine. Yes, we’ll talk about Israel. But can we put on the table securing the border first?”
Griffin: Lawrence, there was a Senate bill to secure the border that the House wouldn’t take up. So that is a false comparison in terms of the choice that’s being made.
Jones: That’s not false, because there are people that have been very critical of the bill–
Griffin: There was a Senate bill, Lawrence–
Jones: And say that it would not secure the border.
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