Maggie Haberman and Katie Benner

The meeting was held at Murdoch’s home in New York, according to someone familiar with it. It was unclear if anyone else attended or what was discussed. Aides to both Murdoch and Barr declined requests for comment on the meeting.

The visit took place as the impeachment inquiry into Trump by House Democrats has gathered momentum. Barr has emerged as a key defender of the president’s concerns about the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Barr was criticized in the spring for his handling of the report by special counsel Robert Mueller before it was released publicly.

Trump has sought out Murdoch’s opinion on a wide range of issues in the past, and Fox News has provided Trump with key support both as a candidate and as president.

Recently, Fox News personalities have questioned the validity of efforts by House Democrats to impeach the president. They have also helped draw attention to the debunked theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election to aid Democrats, a theory favored by Trump but which contradicts the findings of U.S. intelligence communities and the Mueller report that Russia interfered in the election to help Republicans.

But Trump has grown increasingly critical of Fox News, denouncing anchors and reporters who he doesn’t consider to be friendly to him, such as Shep Smith and even Ed Henry, with whom he held a recent interview. And while Trump talks frequently with Tucker Carlson, another Fox News host, Carlson has been critical of Trump’s July call with the president of Ukraine, which sparked the impeachment inquiry. Carlson said there was “no way” to spin what took place on that call as a positive for Trump in a column posted on The Daily Caller website.

On Thursday morning, Trump lashed out at Fox News over a poll it commissioned on attitudes about the impeachment inquiry.

The poll showed that 51% of people surveyed believe that Trump should be impeached and removed from office. Another 4% said he should be impeached but not removed, and 40% said they are against impeaching Trump.

“From the day I announced I was running for President, I have NEVER had a good @FoxNews Poll. Whoever their Pollster is, they suck,” Trump posted on Twitter. “But @FoxNews is also much different than it used to be in the good old days.”

In another tweet, he added, “@FoxNews doesn’t deliver for US anymore. It is so different than it used to be. Oh well, I’m President!”

This article originally appeared in

Barr Meets with Murdoch as Trump Steps Up His Criticism of Fox News

William Barr, the attorney general, met privately Wednesday evening with one of President Donald Trump’s frequent confidants, Rupert Murdoch, the media mogul whose holdings includes Fox News, which has recently become more critical of the president.

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Maggie Haberman and Katie Benner

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Barr Meets with Murdoch as Trump Steps Up His Criticism of Fox News