By James Crump
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Fox News host Laura Ingraham described Covid-19 vaccines as "experimental" while responding to criticism from Democratic Senator Dick Durbin calling her and colleague Tucker Carlson "anti-vax quacks."
During a Senate floor speech on Monday, Durbin, 76, an Illinois senator, claimed that Ingraham and Carlson are "anti-vax quacks" and said that they have circulated on their shows "what I consider to be irresponsible information about vaccines."
He added: "If there are things that can remove you from the air from being said on a program, I certainly hope [Fox News] will caution Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham."
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The senator then specifically praised Fox News personalities such as Steve Doocy, Harris Faulkner and Sean Hannity for past positive comments about vaccines, while he did not criticize the network by name.
Ingraham responded to Durbin's comments during her show The Ingraham Angle on Monday night, calling the senator a "windbag" and claiming that "none of this is about the vaccine. This is all about suppressing speech ahead of next year's midterms."
The host also called Durbin a "fossil," and claimed that the campaign to get the U.S. vaccinated is an "anti-democratic, anti-freedom" push of an "experimental drug on Americans against their will — threatening them, threatening to deprive them of basic liberties, if they don't comply."
Despite Ingraham's claims that the vaccines are "experimental," the Pfizer/BioNtech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use by the FDA in the U.S. have all gone through safety checks and trial phases before being administered to the public.
Once the authorizations are ceased by the FDA, when the vaccines are no longer deemed an emergency need, then the pharmaceutical companies will have to apply for full approval. Their authorization could be revised or revoked if they are deemed to not meet the statutory requirement.
Monday's show is not the first time that Ingraham has called Covid-19 vaccines "experimental," as she did so while describing the Biden administration as "vaccine pushers" during a segment on her show on Thursday when she discussed parental rights in the U.S.
"Now, on the COVID issue, government and so-called public health experts are trying to force your kids with an experimental COVID vaccine whether you want them to or not," Ingraham said on Thursday after saying that the subject of her show that evening was "hide your kids."
Carlson also responded to Durbin's remarks during his show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, on Monday, accusing the senator of attempting to "divide the country further along partisan lines."
The host insisted that he is not against vaccinations, but is instead asking for answers to "basic questions" concerning the Covid-19 jabs available in the U.S.
"Notice what he didn't say. Durbin did not accuse us of spreading false information. He did not accuse us of being factually wrong. We haven't been, nor are we against vaccines, of course.
"Very few Americans are against vaccines. Virtually every American has had a ton of vaccines and was expecting to take this one," Carlson told viewers on Monday.
"But when you refuse to answer basic questions about the vaccine and when you dodge them with partisan talking points like that, you make people nervous."
Newsweek has contacted Fox News and Durbin for comment.
Update 7/13/2021 10:27 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include a clarification of the emergency status of the FDA vaccine authorizations.
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