Fox News host Bret Baier said it is “really a shame” that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has decided none of its 2020 presidential primary debates will air on the network.
In a Wednesday post on Twitter responding to the news, Baier defended his employer, saying Fox News’s fairness “speaks for itself.”
“We will continue to cover this 2020 race fairly & will continue to invite Democrats- Republicans & Independents on to talk about key issues & substance with our very large viewing audience,” Baier wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
DNC Chairman Tom Perez announced the debate decision earlier in the day, citing a story The New Yorker published this week that detailed Fox News’s relationship with and ties to President Trump and his administration.
{mosads}The DNC previously said it could hold as many as 12 debates between candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination and a chance to challenge Trump for the White House.
Fox News, in a statement responding to the DNC’s announcement, cited the “Special Report with Bret Baier” host and other prominent news anchors as reasons the conservative network should have the opportunity to host a debate.
“They’re the best debate team in the business and they offer candidates an important opportunity to make their case to the largest TV news audience in America, which includes many persuadable voters,” Managing Editor Bill Sammon said in a statement emailed to The Hill.
Fox News did not air a Democratic primary debate during the 2016 campaign cycle, though it did host a town hall event with Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Baier is one of Fox News’s most recognizable journalists and its chief political correspondent.
—Updated at 5:25 p.m.