CNN’s Brianna Keilar slammed Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday for “disingenuously” calling on Democrats to get rid of a law banning abortions in almost all circumstances in Arizona.
In a 4-2 decision on Tuesday, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that an 1864 law criminalizing abortions can go into effect, superseding the state’s current 15-week abortion ban.
On his show Wednesday, Hannity told viewers that Arizona’s governor and attorney general are Democrats and put the onus on Democrats to sort the situation out.
“The state legislature is almost evenly divided. If Democrats, you want to get rid of the law, well, you have a chance right now to get rid of it. And I would advise you, get rid of it,” he said.
But he failed to mention a couple of crucial details.
“While Sean Hannity generally operates in a fact-free zone, he is right about one thing there: Arizona’s legislature is almost evenly divided,” Keilar said. “In favor of Republicans.”
She added, “And when he proposed that Democrats get rid of the law, he did so disingenuously. And I’m being generous because a Democrat tried to do just that.”
Arizona Democrats tried on Thursday to vote on a bill to repeal the Civil War-era law. But the attempt was blocked by Republicans.
“Six hours before Sean Hannity suggested the Arizona legislature could just make it go poof, a Republican made sure it didn’t,” Keilar said.
A Republican, state Rep. Matt Gress, had introduced a motion to force a vote on a repeal bill sponsored by a Democrat. But Republican Rep. David Livingston made a motion to adjourn, which passed, stalling the vote. Gress was the sole Republican in the state House to support the repeal.
“Arizona House Rep. David Livingstone putting the Arizona House into recess until next Wednesday, less than one week before abortion becomes illegal in the state, all but ensuring abortion providers will stop providing abortions,” Keilar said.
Looking at the bigger picture, Keilar laid blame on former President Donald Trump, who has proudly taken responsibility for the fall of Roe v. Wade.
Trump said this week it should be up to states to decide on the issue of abortion, but the Arizona ruling “went too far.”
“That was the car that Trump was chasing when he set up the Supreme Court to guarantee it would allow states to ban abortion,” Keilar said.
“And he said on true social: ‘I was able to kill Roe v Wade.’ He’s proven there’s a fine line between catching the car and being run over.”
Hannity is typically against abortion, but he has repeatedly warned Republicans that extreme abortion policies will lead them to lose elections. He defended Trump to viewers on Thursday, telling them the former president “opposes the law and this ruling.”