Watch: Jon Ossoff brilliantly turns the tables on a Fox News reporter who tried to corner him
Here's a day-brightener if you needed one: Jon Ossoff flipping the script on Fox News' nepotism hire, Peter Doocy, turning the would-be "gotcha" interview into a campaign ad for himself and his colleague, Rev. Raphael Warnock. Doocy's aim, clearly, was to paint Ossoff as inexperienced and unqualified. What he actually achieved was giving Ossoff a platform to talk about what's at stake in this election for Georgians—even those watching Fox News—and the very serious ethical problems of the two Republicans in the race. Doocy tried to interrupt Ossoff's discussion with reporters about the pain and suffering he is seeing around the state. "Folks have credit cards maxed out and can't make rent payments, car payments, can't afford prescriptions or afford child care. People are in dire straits," Ossoff said, explaining how Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue were standing in the way of help.
"We are live on Fox right now," Doocy says, pulling Ossoff away. And at this point, check out the look on Ossoff's face for what he's planning to do next. Too bad for Doocy he couldn't see what was coming. Instead, he stupidly barges in with "you talk […] about health and jobs and justice all. Why not talk more about your relevant experience?" Doocy asks. "I've made my career fighting injustice, exposing war crimes and injustice," Ossoff replied. "I run a business that's exposed terrorism, that exposed sexual slavery by ISIS, that's exposed judicial corruption. And right now, we have a crisis of corruption in American politics."
That corruption, he continues, is why he's running. "And since we're live on Fox," Ossoff continued, "let me take this opportunity to address directly the Fox audience. We have two United States senators in Georgia who have blatantly used their offices to enrich themselves. This is beyond partisanship." He continues, turning back to Doocy, "the reason, to your question, that I talk so much about health and jobs and justice for all the people, is that we can unite behind that program." He goes on to talk about the closure of nine rural hospitals in the state, the need for an investment in infrastructure, living wage jobs, and for "civil rights and voting rights legislation to secure equal justice for all." Then he turns back to the audience and owns Doocy. "I humbly and respectfully request the support of everyone who is tuned in on Fox right now, and I'd love for you to log on to 'elect jon—elect j-o-n—dot com' that's 'elect j-o-n dot com' make a contribution to our efforts here in Georgia." Boom.
Doocy, stupidly, just couldn't leave well enough alone, having just participated in cutting a television ad for Jon Ossoff live on Fox News. Nope—he continued, creating a huge opening for Ossoff to deliver the coup de grace on behalf of his co-Democratic campaigner, Rev. Raphael Warnock. "One more quick one while we've got you," Doocy says. "Any concern that the allegations of wrongdoing against Rev. Warnock could possibly be a drag on the Democratic ticket?"
"None whatsoever," Ossoff responded. "Here's the bottom line: Kelly Loeffler has been campaigning with a klansman. Kelly Loeffler has been campaigning with a klansman. And so she is stooping to these vicious personal attacks to distract from the fact that she's been campaigning with a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. I mean, we deserve better than that here in Georgia." That's for sure. (In case you missed it, yes, Loeffler posed with not just any klansman at a campaign rally, but with Chester Doles, a former KKK leader who runs the white supremacist American Patriots USA.)
Watch this for the look on Ossoff's face when Doocy introduces himself. It's just so good.
Jon Ossoff turns tables on Fox News reporterwww.youtube.com
