“Impeachment: American Crime Story”: Ann Coulter Explained

“Impeachment: American Crime Story” chronicles President Bill Clinton’s relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, and how it ultimately led to his impeachment – turning one of the biggest political scandals in US history – United in a series so addicting it might as well be pulp fiction.

The third episode of the new episode of Ryan Murphy’s anthology “American Crime Story” (previous seasons focused on the OJ Simpson trial and the Andrew Cunanan series of murders) brings together three of its meanest characters so far – which says a lot considering the series is full of duplicate and attention-seeking creatures of the Beltway genre.

Matt Drudge (Billy Eichner), Ann Coulter (Cobie Smulders) and Laura Ingraham (Kim Matula) converge in the episode titled “Don’t Believe”, like a perfect storm. Angry and quick, they are mustering energy in an attempt to infiltrate the liberal media with conservative views – to hell with facts, verification and objectivity.

“The Drudge Report is one of the biggest sites on the World Wide Web,” says Ingraham, introducing Drudge to his guests. Ingraham was an MSNBC news host and a friend of the “elves,” a group of lawyers that included Coulter who was helping to build a case against the president. Another lawyer of the group, George Conway (George Salazar), is also in the game. He dated Ingraham and is the future husband of Kellyanne (Conway). Yes, the room is full of people who will play big roles in the Fox News of the future and in the Trump administration. But for now, they all just want to skewer the Clintons.

On this front, Drudge is making a name for himself. That’s impressive, especially since the eccentric gossip columnist ran a CBS field gift shop a few years back. The greatest gift, however, was his access to the trash cans in the field. The series shows him finding one of his first Hollywood scoops – “Seinfeld is the highest paid actor on television!” – while he was diving in the trash after his shift. He runs home to his seedy studio, connects to the internet on a clunky desktop computer, and sends the story. The legend in his mind was born.

From then on, Drudge donned a 1930s-style hat and spoke like another relic of that era, radio news commentator and newspaper columnist Walter Winchell. When a real Newsweek reporter crosses paths with Drudge for the first time, he is taken aback: “Is that true? The voice? The costume? ”Asks Michael Isikoff (Danny Jacobs).

Billy Eichner as Matt Drudge in “Impeachment: American Crime Story”.

(Tina Thorpe / FX)

“Impeachment” shows how Drudge, along with a constellation of other far-right underdogs, used the Clinton scandal to show people like Isikoff how real they were. They would decimate the idea of ​​shared facts, reliable information and credible reporting, largely with angry rhetoric and hearsay without a source. Clinton (Clive Owen), Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein) and Linda Tripp (Sarah Paulson) were just stepping stones.

In the mid-1990s, The Drudge Report was part Hollywood punch, part DC stunt, and arrived just in time to take advantage of the new lawless internet. The dig site did not have to adhere to the same editorial standards as established news agencies, so it was able to publish stunning stories without the same burden of proof. Drudge sidestepped Isikoff’s scoop on Clinton and Lewinsky’s relationship not by confirming the case itself, but by posting an article about Newsweek editors’ decision to increase Isikoff’s information. (Isikoff, during reporting on Paula Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton, previously interviewed Tripp about Clinton, Lewinsky, and Tripp’s White House colleague Kathleen Willey – played by Elizabeth Reaser – who alleged that Clinton had groped her at a meeting at the White House in 1993.)

When Coulter meets Drudge on the show, the surly young lawyer is intrigued by the person from Los Angeles whose filth on Clinton strengthens her own cause. The Elves help Jones’ legal team prepare briefs in his lawsuit against Clinton. The experience would fuel Coulter’s bestselling book “High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton” and launch her career as a conservative political expert whose anti-immigrant screeds and fear of the “liberal mob” have become a staple. to the right.

She is wary of the ridiculous hat and the weird accent, but Conway laughs at Drudge: “I was hooked. [to the Drudge Report] ever since you reported Ken Starr wanted to indict Hillary for perjury, ”he exclaims. “How do you get this stuff?” “

Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones in “Impeachment: American Crime Story”.

(Kurt Iswarienko / FX)

But no one really wants an answer.

“It’s great to finally have an ally in the news industry,” says Ingraham.

“What took so long?” Coulter said bluntly, as if blaming the left-wing media at his feet.

“My dear Ann,” Drudge said, “we had to invent the Internet. Do you know how many people read the holy g— New York Times? About a million. At the rate I’m going, I’ll get over it by the end of next year. The print is dead.

“Impeachment” is full of premonitory moments that connect the past to where we are today. He talks about the horrors to come: the thugs and lopsided attention seekers who have helped foster political division and accelerate the decline of reliable journalism and factual information.

And hindsight also leads to some incredibly funny moments. When Coulter learns that the president is considering settling the Jones case, she is furious. She wants him at the stand so they can catch him lying and therefore have reason to dismiss him. “So the law lets it slide!” The press lets it slide! What a shame, ”she protested.

“Being president used to mean something. Even Nixon was capable of shame. But after that, think about what kind of flabby crooks will see a way to the White House!