FOX NEWS'S SAUDI PROBLEM COMING BACK TO HAUNT

It's been known for quite some time that Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is the second largest shareholder of Fox News's parent company, Newscorp. Many conservatives have had a problem with this relationship when considering bin Talal's ties to groups like Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Now it's been learned that bin Talal has funded the ground zero mosque Imam's projects. It stands to reason that Fox loses the high ground with respect to indignation about Talal being connected to Feisal Abdul Rauf.

VIa the AP:

Indeed, as none other than Rupert Murdoch's New York Post reported last May, the Kingdom Foundation, al-Waleed's personal charity, has donated a total of $305,000 to Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow, a leadership and networking project sponsored jointly by two of Rauf's organizations, the American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative. Al-Waleed owns a 7 percent, $2.3 billion stake in News Corporation. Likewise, News Corporation owns a 9 percent, $70 million stake — purchased in February — in Rotana, Al-Waleed's Saudi media conglomerate. Put another way: Rupert Murdoch and Fox News are in business, to the tune of billions of dollars, with one of the "Terror Mosque Imam's" principal patrons.

To say it would be hypocritical for Fox News Brass to highlight bin Talal's relationship with Rauf would be an understatement but how about the talent? No one on Fox has been more critical of Rauf than Hannity. I don't think Hannity has any ties to bin Talal because the latter is the second largest shareholder of Hannity's parent company. Were Hannity, for example, to take a stand and walk away from Fox because of this relationship, it might be cutting off his nose to spite his face.

Back in May, when the Gaza flotilla was in the news, Think Progress used Beck's words against him as Beck made reference to Giuliani refusing to accept bin Talal's money after 9/11. Again, by leaving, Beck might be doing the same thing - no message would get out. That Beck may have looked somewhat foolish in pointing out this fact in light of his employer's relationship with Talal, it's the relationship between bin Talal and Newscorp that should be the issue. It should be Newscorp that is made to look foolish as they are putting their hosts in very tight spots.

In fact, the more these hosts engage in the debate, the more they should be commended for potentially going against the corporate grain - Hannity in particular. Besides, I'll bet if you uncover the funding of the likes of those other networks, it'd be a bit uglier.

More on the Newscorp. / bin Talal relationship HERE and HERE.

h/t to Mike in Midland