Fox Will Air Dennis Kucinich Interview with Bashar al-Assad Tonight

The rumors are true: On Wednesday night, during a special two-hour edition of Special Report with Bret Baier, Fox News will air an exclusive interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The interview is conducted by FNC senior corresspondent Greg Palkot and Fox contributor and former congressman Dennis Kucinich. 

Michael Clemente, the Executive Vice President for News at Fox News, said in a statement that the interview came together on September 7, when "Kucinich advised me that he believed he could secure an interview" with Assad. Kucinich and Assad have a relationship dating back several years, including a 2011 trip to Syria. After that 2011 meeting, Kucinich said he was mistranslated by Syrian state-owned media as saying that Assad is "highly loved and appreciated."

The interview itself was recorded on Tuesday, September 17, with the help of a Syrian camera crew. No restrictions were placed on the kinds of questions that could be asked, according to Fox. Interestingly, Clemente notes in his statement that the former Democratic congressman and presidential candidate "was not there in the capacity of a journalist nor was he representing FOX News in that role."

This interview with the Syrian president comes after an interview with Charlie Rose earlier this month. But much has changed since then, particularly in regards to the Russian proposal to secure Syria's chemical weapons as a means of avoiding an American air strike.