Some of Mr. Trump said the Fox call surprised them, but also undermined their confidence in their chances of victory. Jason Miller, a senior aide to the Trump campaign, said in a video testimony played by the committee that he and others were “disappointed with Fox” to make the call, but at the same time “worried because maybe our data or our numbers were not “. accurate. ”
Mr. Miller had not shared any of this concern on election night, when he tweeted that Fox was a “complete outlier” whose call should be ignored by other means. At the insistence of Mr. Trump, he and other aides immediately contacted Fox executives, producers and live talent to ask for an explanation. Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Mr. Trump, went straight to the top, calling Mr. Murdoch. The scene took place partly on air, while Fox’s talent commented on the complaints that rained down on them from the Trump campaign.
“Arnon, we’re getting a lot of entrants here and we need you to answer some questions,” said network chief political presenter Bret Baier at one point, referring to Arnon Mishkin, the person on the decision-making board who was in charge of analyze the data and recommend when Fox makes its calls.
On Monday, Mr. Stirewalt did not even describe Mr. Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corporation, as part of the decision-making process. And network executives have said the Murdochs were not involved.
While Fox News coverage is usually favorable to conservative and pro-Trump views, this deference has never been adopted by the decision-making board, which is an independent part of the news-gathering operation overseen by Mr. Mishkin, a poll expert who is also a registered Democrat. In the days following the election, Mr. Mishkin was unwavering in his defense of the call as Fox presenters pressed him. Once, while host Martha MacCallum salted Mr. Mishkin with a series of “and yes” scenarios that could increase Mr. Trump to get a win, Mr. Mishkin replied sarcastically, “What if the frogs had wings?” (Mr. Mishkin remains a paid network consultant, not an employee, and will lead the decision-making board for the November midterm elections).
The decision-making board was created under former Fox News president and founder Roger Ailes, who liked to make controversy and score more than he cared to follow the Republican Party line. His quick calls angered Republicans on more than one occasion, including in 2012, when he was the first to project that President Barack Obama would win Ohio and a second term, and in 2018 when he declared that Republicans would lose the House. of Representatives although votes were still being cast on the west coast.