Maria Bartiromo Apologizes On Air After Guest Made Baseless Claims About Data Center Protesters
Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo issued an on-air correction June 26 after her guest, “Shark Tank” panelist and investor Kevin O’Leary, baselessly claimed in May that China was funding recent protests against his Utah data center project.
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O’Leary, who is trying to build one of the largest data centers in the country, previously claimed that local Utah protesters and grassroots activists have ties to or are being funded by the Chinese government as part of a foreign influence campaign to thwart America’s AI buildout. He backtracked June 25, posting a message to social media and specifically naming groups and individuals he claimed had taken money from China or the CCP. (RELATED: Most Americans Oppose AI Data Centers In Their Communities, New Poll Shows)
“Recently I appeared on various news programs and would like to clarify that I have no evidence that Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Gabrielle Finlayson, Taylor Knuth or Josh Kanter are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party,” the message read.
Bartiromo then issued a correction the following day. O’Leary had appeared on her show in May.
“Mr. O’Leary has now corrected the record and explained that he has no evidence that the Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Josh Kanter, Taylor Knuth, or Gabriel Finlayson are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party,” Bartiromo said.
“Fox News Media is likewise aware of no evidence that they are funded by, acting at the direction of, or coordinating with Chinese interests in opposing Kevin O’Leary’s project. Fox News Media apologizes for the error,” she said.
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Other organizations, including the Bitcoin Policy Institute and the American Energy Institute, as well as political figures on the right, have echoed similar claims to O’Leary’s.
“Any place that’s trying to build data centers is getting bombarded with foreign-directed propaganda to try to block these from being built,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said during a recent Fox Business appearance. “This is just another attack on the U.S. and our ability to be competitive.” (RELATED: California Town Bans Data Centers Permanently In Landslide Ballot Measure)
House Republicans claimed in June there is “strong evidence” that data center opposition is being funded in part by China, urging the Trump administration in a letter to investigate the matter further.
“The fact that Chinese Communist Party-backed entities and other foreign adversaries may be attempting to influence decisions related to American data center infrastructure puts into perspective how serious of a fight we are in,” they . “Americans deserve to know who is bankrolling the disinformation campaign that seeks to block critical infrastructure investments.”
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