Fox Highlights Illegals Plotting July 4 Attack as CNN, MSNBC Bury

On Thursday morning, Fox News Channel forthrightly informed their viewers that police in Richmond, Virginia, believe they stopped a mass shooting plot by two illegal immigrants that would have targeted July 4th celebrations. CNN, MSNBC, and the other networks have barely touched the story and mostly buried the illegal immigration angle.

At 7:54 am. Fox & Friends set up a three-minute interview with Richmond police chief Gerald Smith:

 

 

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY: Well. just days after the horrific parade attack in Highland Park, police in Richmond announcing they foiled plans for another mass shooting on the 4th of July.

STEVE DOOCY: They say it was a tip from a “hero citizen” anonymous which led to the arrest of two illegal migrants before they could carry out the plan on the 4th of July.

After Chief Smith recalled that his officers began investigating the suspects after an anonymous tip from someone who overheard them, Doocy followed up by noting that one of the two had been deported several times: “They’re both in this country illegally, and one of them has been deported a number of times, and yet he keeps coming back,…”

Only two times has CNN mentioned this story in Nexis searches — one on Wednesday afternoon, and another that night when Erin Burnett spoke to Chief Smith for a segment of five minutes. CNN anchors never mentioned that the two were illegal immigrants, or that they were charged with being non-citizens of firearms possession.

Although these details were not revealed to CNN viewers, Chief Smith was being questioned at a press conference that morning about the fact that one suspect has been deported multiple times. Just under 10 minutes in, one reporter, referred to as “John,” asked: “The suspects, I’ve been told from sources, that one of them, at least, got deported several times. Can you comment on that, how frustrating it is for — to have someone come in like that time and time again and this is the outcome?”

Chief Smith responded: “It can be frustrating when things like that occur — that people who actually shouldn’t be here who are criminals actually continue to be able to do those type of things — it can be frustrating.”

MSNBC dug the story up early Thursday morning. It’s too earlyHowever, they did mention that the criminals had been indicted as illegal immigrants. The story was also downplayed on the broadcast networks.

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Below is the transcript. To read more, click “expand”. 

Fox & Friends

July 7, 2022

Eastern, 7:54 AM

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY: Well. just days after the horrific parade attack in Highland Park, police in Richmond announcing they foiled plans for another mass shooting on the 4th of July.

STEVE DOOCY: They say it was a tip from a “hero citizen” anonymous which led to the arrest of two illegal migrants before they could carry out the plan on the 4th of July.

BRIAN KILMEADE. Richmond’s police chief Gerald Smith now joins us. Chief Smith: Can you reconstruct the process of how you received your tip, what you did afterwards and what you discovered when you arrived at that location?

GERALD SMITH, RICHMOND POLICE CHIEF: Sure, the tip came in on July 1st from what you described as a “hero citizen” and what I describe as a “hero citizen.” They contacted our second precinct, and our officers in the second precinct took the call. They didn’t blow it off — they sat there on the phone and listened, took copious notes, and, at that point in time, our investigation started. In a matter hours our officers knocked on the door of that house to find out what was going. And from that point on, once inside, our officers started to see other evidence that corroborated the hero citizen’s statement. And the investigation continued until we locked up two individuals. It was an important step that prevented another disaster. There is no other term I can think of to describe the citizen who called up but a “hero.” A single phone call saved a tragedy.

CAMPOS DUFFY (English): It is just what we have been begging for — and it has happened.  What if this heroic citizen got a telephone call from someone? Is that right?

SMITH – No. A hero citizen heard a conversation between two suspects. They were in direct contact with the suspects and they heard about this plan. You know, many of us go by our day every day, but this person said, “No, I’m not going to go on with my life — I’m going to stop and make this phone call.”

DOOCY: Sure. When you notice something, it is your turn to say something. Evidently, the person spoke. Two AR’s and a handgun were found by officers at this spot. They also discovered over 200 ammunition rounds. We also have this photo of the two suspects. They’re both in this country illegally, and one of them has been deported a number of times, and yet he keeps coming back, and now, you know, you guys are lucky you were able to avert tragedy by these guys.

SMITH: Yeah, that’s true. And, you know, we know that there are — there’s work to be done with the immigration policies throughout the country, but officers just, well, officers were just concentrating on the behavior — they were looking at the criminal behavior that actually they had to concentrate on, and that made the difference. We can’t get into the immigration issues that surround the country — we had to look and we had to prevent that violence from occurring.

CAMPOS DUFFY Gerald — Really quick

SMITH: I have to commend the officers.

CAMPOS DUFFY: There is no motive as yet

SMITH: I’m sorry?

CAMPOS-DUFFY : What motive?

SMITH: No motive, no motive, but the officers — we did know there was the intent — the intent was clear — the intent was to cause a mass shooting and to take lives and to do damage unto untold depths. We have no idea the depths of what this citizen hero prevented.

DOOCY: They certainly did. Chief, I am so grateful for your presence from Richmond.

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