Eric Swalwell Says Fox News ‘Popular’ With Homesick U.S. Troops But Not Sure He Disagrees With Banning Network to Military Anyway

California Democrat and frequent cable news guest Eric Swalwell on Saturday suggested to MSNBC’s Katie Phang that America is not without “recourse” against Fox News, and he did not disagree with certain activists who say American troops abroad or on base at home should not have Fox News available to them.

Phang had Swalwell on to talk about Fox News and Dominion, and at one point said to him she’s “worried” about the “harm” done to America by “the disinformation and the misinformation pumped out of Fox News.”

“Has there been any discussions in Congress about maybe congressional oversight, regulations, maybe the FCC getting involved?” asked Phang. “I know we all respect the First Amendment, Congressman, but should there be some type of gatekeeping that happens so that this doesn’t happen again?”

Swalwell brought up members of the American military and a recent ad campaign from far-left activist group VoteVets arguing for banning Fox News from all military bases worldwide.

Swalwell began his response by saying he’s “visited” American servicemembers where they serve around the world and has observed how TV has an impact.

Nothing makes them feel more like home than their access to American television programming,” he said, acknowledging the fact that Fox News is very popular with the troops.

But, he went on, he isn’t so sure it should be permitted.

“I don’t want to get in the business of telling troops what they can and cannot watch,” he said. “But, if you have a news station that a court is going to rule is, in its evening hour, you know, perpetuating dis- and misinformation, I don’t know if I disagree with VoteVets, who was saying that we need to take a look at, you know, how this is being broadcast to our troops.”

What VoteVets said in the campaign the congressman said he may agree with is that Fox News “must be removed from all TVs on military installations NOW.”

So Swalwell’s “but” in his statement was even more load-bearing than the one that followed Phang’s briefly vague First Amendment lip service, in that banning a channel from being available to troops would definitely constitute telling them “what they can and cannot watch.”

Swalwell said he hopes that “that” — presumably meaning his implied threat of removal — is “an incentive for Fox News to clean up” its opinion shows from hosts including Tucker Carlson or Laura Ingraham.

“I don’t think we’re without complete recourse,” said Swalwell