Judge Napolitano Returns to Fox News After Being Benched

Brian Steinberg

Andrew Napolitano, the former New Jersey Superior Court judge who was taken off the air at Fox News Channel after suggesting without evidence that President Barack Obama used British intelligence to surveil Donald Trump before he was elected President of the United States, is back on camera at the 21st Century Fox-owned cable-news outlet.

Napolitano’s comments alleging wiretapping were repeated by President Trump, who caused an international incident when Britain insisted the charges were “utterly ridiculous.” At the time, Fox News’ Shepard Smith told viewers that the network’s news personnel “cannot confirm Judge Napolitano’s commentary.” Napolitano served as a jurist from 1987 to 1995. Napolitano had been off the air since March 20, meaning he was benched, more or less, for a period lasting almost two weeks.

The former judge made an appearance Wednesday during Fox News’ daytime programming anchored by Bill Hemmer and also on Stuart Varney’s morning program on Fox Business Network.

Napolitano told Hemmer he still believed in his allegations about surveillance. ” Yes I do, and the sources stand by it and the American public needs to know more about this rather than less, because a lot of the government surveillance authorities will expire in the fall,” Napolitano said on Fox News. “And there will be a great debate about how much authority we want the government to have to surveil us and the more the American public knows about this the more informed their and Congress’ decisions will be.”

Napolitano has been a steady presence on both Fox News and Fox Business over the years. A respected law professor, he once co-hosted a talk show on Fox News Radio with Brian Kilmeade, one of the current co-hosts of “Fox & Friends.” He also anchored a program on Fox Business.

Fox News was unable to say how Napolitano might be used on the network in the future.

TV Newser previously reported Napolitano’s on air return.

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