CORRECTION, Oct. 12, 2023: The Clinton Global Initiative is an annual conference in New York. An earlier version of this article and its headline mischaracterized the event.
Conservatives are questioning the loyalty of Fox News host and former White House press secretary Dana Perino after a video surfaced of her praising Hillary Clinton just one week before Perino moderated a Republican debate.
On Wednesday, Perino was on Fox Business Network’s panel of moderators in Simi Valley, California, alongside network host Stuart Varney and Univision anchor Ilia Calderón.
From the beginning of the debate, viewers were peeved by the direction of it and the overall lack of control the three moderators had over the candidates.
Calderón actually opened the forum in Spanish.
The questions that were asked of the candidates also bothered viewers, including a query from Perino in which she portrayed a moment in the debate as a hypothetical reality TV show in which one person would be voted off.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida shot down the question:
SEE IT: Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) checks Dana Perino (@DanaPerino) after worst question of the GOP debate. WATCH pic.twitter.com/PJ9Il9lTx2
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 28, 2023
Video emerged Thursday of Perino speaking at a Clinton Global Initiative session in which the Fox News host previously was announced as the moderator.
Independent journalist Jordan Schachtel uploaded a clip of Perino introducing Clinton at the conference on the social media site X, noting Perino referred to the former senator and secretary of state as “amazing.”
In the clip, Perino called the former first lady “the amazing Secretary Hillary Clinton” before shaking her hand on stage.
Just a week before the GOP debate, Fox’s Dana Perino hosted a panel at the Clinton Foundation gala and introduced “the amazing Secretary Hillary Clinton”
Full details here: https://t.co/MeWVxMv85h pic.twitter.com/MMCCBTSEmw
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) September 28, 2023
Perino and Clinton briefly exchanged what appeared to be warm words that a nearby microphone was not able to pick up.
Many who viewed the clip perceived it as evidence of a Washington uniparty in which those closest to the top are one happy family:
Now we know why she was gunning for DeSantis…. Cashed that check. ??? https://t.co/nkuypiPWhw
— Spence Rogers (@SpenceRogers) September 28, 2023
The ruling class is a club, and the Right ain’t in it. https://t.co/F1bC9cPMcR
— Jake Bequette (@JakeBequette91) September 28, 2023
Can’t imagine why Republican voters and voters who otherwise would vote Republican if they voted, hate Republicans. https://t.co/IRqmasdEsK
— Rich Baris “The People’s Pundit” (@Peoples_Pundit) September 29, 2023
Unbelievable. Dana Perino at the Clinton Global Initiative calling Hillary Clinton “the amazing Hillary Clinton.”
Because Fox & the RNC don’t want authentically conservative politicians. They want uniparty elitists. Gross. https://t.co/UiEHYH48i1
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) September 28, 2023
It’s a big club.
And we’re not in it.
— Dan Ferris (@dferris1961) September 29, 2023
Wow. Tells you everything you need to know about why the debate questions were so juvenile, why they didn’t ask a single question about COVID, and why they avoided asking DeSantis a single question even though he’s the e front-runner.
— Michael P Senger (@michaelpsenger) September 28, 2023
Lmao they are all part of the same club
— Sensei Kraken Zero (@YearOfTheKraken) September 28, 2023
According to Deadline, the session moderated by Perino was called “Journalism on the Front Lines” and covered the topic of “protecting freedom of the press.”
Perino was former President George W. Bush’s press secretary from 2007 to 2009. She joined Fox News as a commentator after leaving the White House and worked her way up to anchor.
She currently hosts “America’s Newsroom” alongside fellow network anchor Bill Hemmer.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
