CNN anchor Don Lemon on Tuesday fired back at Bill O’Reilly after the Fox News host accused him of refusing to cover the Susan Rice story, bringing up reports of harassment allegations against O’Reilly.
“False,” Lemon tweeted. “I did not refuse to cover the story. But I did cover your sexual harassment allegations. Did you?”
Lemon was responding to O’Reilly’s tweet claiming Lemon hadn’t covered the the reports of Rice’s involvement in surveilling President Trump’s transition team.
{mosads}O’Reilly’s tweet included a link to a video of Lemon, who said during his Monday program there is no evidence that the Trump team was surveilled or spied on illegally.
“On this program tonight, we will not insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise,” Lemon said on his show. “Nor will we aid and abet the people who are trying to misinform you, the American people. By creating a diversion. Not going to do it.”
Rice on Tuesday categorically denied the Obama administration inappropriately spied on President Trump or members of his transition team.
Rice had requested that at least one Trump transition team member be “unmasked,” Bloomberg View reported Monday, leading to claims that the Obama White House had intended to use that intelligence to damage Trump’s transition.
Rice on Tuesday did not deny making any such request, instead declining to comment on specific reports, but she denied her actions went outside the scope of her job.
The New York Times reported Saturday that five women who accused O’Reilly of harassment received a total of $13 million from either Fox or O’Reilly. The women in turn agreed not to pursue litigation or talk about their accusations.