FOX News Anchor Defends Obama When a Former Trump Adviser Tries Politicizing the Manchester Attack

In case anyone needs a reminder, now is not the time to exploit the Manchester bombing incident for your own political purposes. Much is still unknown about the attack as police continue to investigate the suicide bombing, and many people are still searching for their missing loved ones. It's a point that Shep Smith, a FOX news anchor, did not let go unrecognized when a former Trump adviser actually tried to blame the situation on former president Obama on air.

Smith covered the latest developments in the Manchester bombing, which took place late at night on May 22 outside an Ariana Grande concert, for FOX News. One of his guests was James Woolsey, a former Trump adviser and CIA director, who said he believes "radical Islamists" will plan more attacks. He then continued: "And we now have a president who is pretty straightforward that he is at war with them. He's not going to soft-pedal that. He calls them evil. And we haven't had a situation like that. We did not have in the eight years of the Obama administration a president who wanted to fight and win a war."

Smith quickly interrupted. "President Obama fought a number of wars and certainly didn't say that he didn't want to win them," he countered. "It's very early, Mr. Woolsey, with great respect, it's very early to make this a political matter." You can watch a clip of the conversation ahead.

"We don't know what this is," Smith insisted. "We are led to believe by authorities in Manchester that this was a single person with a single bomb. They have not ascribed any motive to this."

It's clear that Smith was cautious about allowing his guest to give the Manchester bombing a certain narrative before more information was confirmed — a good reminder to all of us watching the event unfold to stay informed and be responsible about the information we share.