Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that Fox News obsesses over the terminology used to describe terrorists, while some Fox News hosts said it is Holder who is obsessed with Fox News.
"We spend more time, more time talking about what you call it, as opposed to what do you do about it, you know? I mean really," Holder said at a National Press Club luncheon in Washington. "If Fox didn’t talk about this, they would have nothing else to talk about, it seems to me."
The Obama administration has been criticized for its refusal to associate terrorists with Islam because it says the terrorists in the Islamic State (ISIS), al-Qaida and other groups are not truly practicing the religion, though the groups claim to be Islamic themselves.
"Radical Islam, Islamic extremism — I’m not sure an awful lot is gained by saying that," Holder said. "It doesn’t have any impact on our military posture. It doesn’t have any impact on what we call it, on the policies that we put in place."
It isn't only Fox News that has questioned the White House on its choice of words. National Public Radio's
Mara Liasson has grilled White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest about it.
Some congressional Democrats have joined in as well, including Iraq War veteran and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.
Fox News Channel's Neil Cavuto and the hosts of "The Five" said it sounded more like Holder was obsessed with Fox than Fox is with terminology.
"The Five" co-host Eric Bolling said it sounds like Holder is letting it be known who and what bothers him.
"There's an old saying in baseball: If you have rabbit ears, you're going to strike out. If you're up to the plate and you can hear the other team razzing you, you're going to strike out," he said. "They are hearing Fox News.
Co-host Dana Perino noted Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi also has said the term "Islamic" should be used.
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