Was Jeanine's Fox News show cancelled over comments on Ilhan Omar?

The popular Fox News show Justice with Judge Jeanine with former New York state judge Jeanine Pirro didn't air in its regular Saturday night time slot leading fans, including US President Donald Trump to speculate she was booted off the air due to comments made about Muslim-American Rep. Ilhan Omar.

Pirro, whose top-rated show covers American politics and the Middle East, discussed the firestorm over Omar's anti-Israel rhetoric which many American commentators said bordered on overt antisemitism. On her March 9 show, Pirro blasted Omar for questioning the loyalty of American Jews to the United States by rhetorically asking if her Muslim faith means she is more loyal to Sharia law than the US constitution.

"Omar wears a hijab which according to the Quran 33:59 tells women to cover so they won't get molested. Is her adherence to this Islamic doctrine indicative of her adherence to Sharia law which in itself is antithetical to the United States constitution?"

Fox News released a statement the next day stating, "We strongly condemn Jeanine Pirro's comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar. They do not reflect those of the network and we have addressed the matter with her directly." A week later, when her show failed to air, the cable news outlet stated, "we’re not commenting on internal scheduling matters," according to ABC News which added Fox declined to comment if and when Pirro's show would return.

President Trump took to Twitter to defend the host stating, "Bring back @JudgeJeanine Pirro. Stop working soooo hard on being politically correct, which will only bring you down, and continue to fight for our Country."

She responded to criticism of her comment stating, "I did not call Rep. Omar un-American. My intention was to ask a question and start a debate, but of course because one is Muslim does not mean you don't support the constitution. I invite Rep. Omar to come on my show any time to discuss all of the important issues facing Americans today."

Pirro was born in New York to Lebanese parents and served as a court judge and district attorney. She is the author of five books, the latest titled, Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy. Her Fox News show has aired since 2011 with consistent high ratings.

 

Ilhan Omar, Democratic representative of the 5th district of Minnesota assumed office in January. Born in Somalia to a Muslim family, she is a member of the powerful House of Representatives foreign relations committee.

Her party released a special resolution in March condemning antisemitism as a result of the criticism of Omar's past comments. Omar accused AIPAC - the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, of having undue influence on Congress and in a separate Tweet stated "it's all about the Benjamins," which her critics called veiled refers to Jewish lobby money. Both Twitter posts were later deleted.

On February, Omar stated, "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country and later reaffirmed her remarks, stating one "should not be expected to have allegiance/pledge support to a foreign country in order to serve my country in Congress or serve on committee." House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Eliot Engel was one of the many who expressed shock in Omar's accusations, stating "deeply offensive to call into question the loyalty of fellow American citizens." She later apologized but still criticized AIPAC.