Jake Tapper struggles not to laugh as he reads Fox News’ settlement statement

CNN‘s jake tapper had difficulty swallowing foxnews‘ statement on its commitment to the “highest journalistic standards” after the network reached a $787.5 million settlement with Domain Voting Systems.

foxnews admitted in a statement about the settlement, negotiated on the same day the historic libel trial was scheduled to start, that he had made false claims about Dominion. However, as Tapper put it, the network then tried to put a “positive face on what can only be construed as one of the ugliest and most embarrassing moments in the history of journalism.”

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement on our dispute with Dominion Voting Systems,” the statement from the right-wing chain said. “We acknowledge the Court’s rulings that found certain claims about Dominion to be false. This agreement reflects FOX’s continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards. We are hopeful that our decision to resolve this dispute with Dominion amicably, rather than the acrimony of a divisive trial, will enable the country to move forward from these issues.”

Reading the statement to viewers, Tapper paused at the sentence about journalistic standards.

“Sorry, this is going to be hard to say with a straight face,” he said, stopping to laugh as he read the sentence.

The voting software company was seeking $1.6 billion in damages from Fox News and its parent company for its coverage of the 2020 election, alleging that the network had amplified false claims that Dominion voting machines helped rig the elections against former president Donald Trump.

Evidence that emerged during the lawsuit showed that Fox hosts and executives did not believe many of the claims they made to viewers in an apparent effort to hold them back and appease Trump.

The last-minute settlement means the cable network will avoid a high-profile and potentially embarrassing trial that would likely have seen testimony from top executives and talent. The trial was scheduled to start Monday but was delayed until Tuesday after a last-minute effort reported by Fox News on Sunday to settle the dispute out of court.