On Monday morning, Barbara L’Italien appeared on Fox & Friends First, the early morning Fox News program. However, the hosts thought that Ann Kirkpatrick, a former Arizona congresswoman running to return to her seat, was joining the program. Instead of answering the host’s question about supporting ICE (Kirkpatrick was the only candidate in the Democratic primary debate to unequivocally support ICE), “Good morning. I’m actually here to speak directly to Donald Trump. I feel that what’s happening at the border is wrong. I’m a mother of four and I believe that separating kids from their parents is illegal and inhumane.”
She continued, “I’m actually Barbara L’Italien. I’m a state senator representing a large immigrant community. I’m running for Congress in Massachusetts. I keep thinking about what we’re putting parents through and imagining how terrifying that must be for those families, imagining how it would feel not knowing if I’d ever see my kids again. We have to stop abducting children and ripping them from their parents’ arms, and stop putting kids in cages, and stop making 3-year-olds defend themselves in court.”
Co-host Rob Schmitt then tried to take back control, but still did not realize who he was truly talking to, “That practice has stopped at this point, Ms. Kirkpatrick, right?”
L’Italien reiterated her name and the co-hosts then wondered aloud what was happening as she was cut off by producers.
“This morning we invited Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick to appear on Fox & Friends First through her press contact on file Joe Katz, who accepted the invitation on Kirkpatrick’s behalf. Katz followed with an email confirming the segment, which also included background information and a campaign logo for Ann Kirkpatrick,” executive producer Desiree Dunne said in a statement. “During the actual segment, Barbara L’Italien, appeared on camera instead of Kirkpatrick. Despite speaking to producers prior to the interview, L’Italien did not identify herself as anything other than Kirkpatrick until she was live on air, at which point we ended the interview.”