Bill O’Reilly’s lawyer said the embattled Fox News anchor is the target of “far-left organizations” seeking his destruction.
“Bill O’Reilly has been subjected to a brutal campaign of character assassination that is unprecedented in post-McCarthyist America,” Marc E. Kasowitz said in a statement Tuesday, according to CNN.
“This law firm has uncovered evidence that the smear campaign is being orchestrated by far-left organizations bent on destroying O’Reilly for political and financial reasons. The evidence will be put forth shortly and is irrefutable.”
O’Reilly has been in the spotlight after numerous reports of sexual harassment allegations and lawsuits recently emerged.
CNN reported Tuesday that a well-placed source claims representatives for O’Reilly and Fox have begun discussing the host’s exit from the network. O’Reilly is currently on vacation and set to come back April 24.
{mosads}The source told CNN an announcement about O’Reilly’s future is likely by week’s end.
New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman reported Tuesday that media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s sons are considering pulling O’Reilly off the air.
James and Lachlan Murdoch are purportedly leaning toward ousting O’Reilly, while their father opposes doing so.
O’Reilly’s show lost about 90 advertisers earlier this month after The New York Times reported that five women were paid $13 million to settle sexual harassment lawsuits.
Sherman’s report said the ad revenue lost and protests outside Fox’s headquarters have contributed to the momentum for booting O’Reilly.
Fox News has come under scrutiny for its treatment of female employees, with former CEO Roger Ailes removed last year amid a sexual harassment scandal.
O’Reilly hosts the network’s highest-rated talk show, creating fears about the channel losing viewers should he no longer chair “The O’Reilly Factor.”