Why?
The New York Times on Thursday released a review of top Fox News host Megyn Kelly‘s new book, Settle for More, and included a stunning revelation. In the advanced copy, the Kelly appears to strongly suggests that her now famous question to Donald Trump during the first GOP debate was leaked to him in advance. Perhaps even more stunning, she suggests he may have had her poisoned the morning of the debate.
Here’s one excerpt from the Times:
After reading Ms. Kelly’s book, scheduled to be published Nov. 15 but obtained early by The New York Times, I must say I feel nervous for her. According to her book, Mr. Trump did not take kindly to Ms. Kelly’s questions, and he appeared to retaliate in creepy, personal ways. Many journalists are already concerned that he has little regard for their professional responsibilities or First Amendment rights. “Settle for More†won’t allay their fears.
Ms. Kelly writes that her problems started in August, the Monday before the first Republican presidential primary debate. She had just done a segment on her show, “The Kelly File,†that infuriated Mr. Trump. He refused to make his own scheduled appearance on her show unless she phoned him personally.
“I almost unleashed my beautiful Twitter account against you,†she says he told her, “and I still may.â€
Then, the day before the first presidential debate, Mr. Trump was in a lather again, Ms. Kelly writes. He called Fox executives, saying he’d heard that her first question “was a very pointed question directed at him.†This disconcerted her, because it was true: It was about his history of using disparaging language about women.
For the record, here’s the question Kelly did ask of Trump that night:
Mr. Trump, one of the things people love about you is you speak your mind and you don’t use a politician’s filter. However, that is not without its downsides, in particular, when it comes to women. You’ve called women you don’t like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ ‘slobs’ and ‘disgusting animals.’ …
Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks. You once told a contestant on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees.
Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who was likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?
You decide if what she wrote suggests the question was leaked to him.
Second, even more stunning. She implies she was poisoned.
Again, from the Times:
On the day of the debate, Ms. Kelly writes, she woke up feeling great. Then an overzealous, suspiciously enthusiastic driver picked her up to take her to the convention center. He insisted on getting her coffee, though she’d repeatedly declined his offer. Once it was in her hand, she drank it. And within 15 minutes, she was violently ill, vomiting so uncontrollably that it was unclear if she’d be able to go on and help moderate that evening. It was so bad that she kept a trash pail beneath her desk throughout the debate, just in case.
Ms. Kelly never says outright that someone tried to poison her. (A stomach bug was going around, she notes.) But the episode spooked her enough that she shared it later with Roger Ailes and a lawyer friend of his. Foul play? Again: She reports. You decide.
But now Kelly is denying the Times‘ claims, stating point-blank she does not believe the question was leaked to Trump and she just had the flu.
OK…
On Twitter, many are noting that Kelly “grilled” DNC interim Chair Donna Brazile for basically the exact same thing:
What do you think?
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