Moderator Chris Wallace scolded Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) on Sunday when she took shots at Fox News in the middle of her town hall hosted by the network, saying she was being treated fairly.
Gillibrand, whose presidential campaign has struggled to gain any momentum in fundraising or polling, took a question from a retired nurse over whether she supported late-term abortion. The staunchly pro-choice lawmaker took the opportunity to attack Fox News, but Wallace didn't stand by as he did when South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg called out conservative pundits by name last month.
"What we have created unfortunately is a false choice and a false narrative. And Chris, I want to talk about the role that Fox News plays in this because it's a problem," Gillibrand said, turning to Wallace. "I can tell you before President Trump gave his State of the Union, Fox News talked about infanticide."
Wallace cut in, saying, "Senator, I just want to say, we brought you here for an hour. We're treating you very fairly."
"I understand that maybe to make your credentials with the Democrats who are not appearing on Fox News, you're going to attack us," he said. "I'm not sure it's, frankly, very polite."
Gillibrand pledged to make her point in a "polite way," but Wallace urged her to answer the nurse's question rather than talk about Fox News.
Nevertheless, she persisted and said Fox News had spoken about "infanticide" for "6.5 hours" before Trump's speech, accusing the network of distorting the debate. She slammed state legislatures across the country passing pro-life legislation, saying she didn't understand it.
"It's a human right. It's about having bodily autonomy. It's about being able to control your physical self," she said.
The nurse asked Gillibrand again about whether she supported late-term abortion; the candidate answered by discussing her desire to codify Roe v. Wade and ensure abortion rights across the country, regardless of the state.