A Fox News Contributor Has Just Quit, Calling the Network a 'Propaganda Machine'

A Fox News Contributor Has Just Quit, Calling the Network a 'Propaganda Machine'A Fox News Contributor Has Just Quit, Calling the Network a 'Propaganda Machine'
Lt. Col. Ralph Peters also criticized the network for “advancing” the Russian agenda

Lt. Col. Ralph Peters is leaving his post at Fox News, saying he’s “ashamed” to be part of a “propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration.”

In an email to colleagues, which was obtained by BuzzFeed, the longtime contributor shared why he’ll no longer appear on the network.

“Four decades ago, I took an oath as a newly commissioned officer,” he wrote. “I swore to ‘support and defend the Constitution,’ and that oath did not expire when I took off my uniform. Today, I feel that Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law, while fostering corrosive and unjustified paranoia among viewers. Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association. Now I am ashamed.”

He continued, “In my view, Fox has degenerated from providing a legitimate and much-needed outlet for conservative voices to a mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration. When prime-time hosts — who have never served our country in any capacity — dismiss facts and empirical reality to launch profoundly dishonest assaults on the FBI, the Justice Department, the courts, the intelligence community (in which I served), and, not least, a model public servant and genuine war hero such as Robert Mueller — all the while scaremongering with lurid warnings of ‘deep-state’ machinations — I cannot be part of the same organization, even at a remove. To me, Fox News is now wittingly harming our system of government for profit.”

Peters, who was suspended in 2015 for calling then-President Barack Obama a “total p—y,” also criticized the network for “advancing” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agenda.

In a statement, Fox News responded to Peters’ comments: “Ralph Peters is entitled to his opinion despite the fact that he’s choosing to use it as a weapon in order to gain attention. We are extremely proud of our top-rated primetime hosts and all of our opinion programming.”

This article was originally published on EW.com.