Fox & Friends praises Homeland Security chief for bogus denials about family separations

Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen falsely claimed there was no policy separating immigrant families -- and Fox News insisted her false denial "sets the record straight."

"Fox & Friends" hosts spent Monday morning cleaning up the political mess prompted by reports of children being ripped from their parents at the border, and they insisted the outrage was a partisan issue.

"It's become a political issue on this side, seems to be Democrats against Republicans regarding. this and this is why the secretary of Homeland Security came out with a series of tweets to try to clarify," said co-host Steve Doocy.

Co-host Ainsley Earhardt agreed with Nielsen that reporting on the policy was "irresponsible and unproductive," and Doocy justified separating children from parents.

"I was looking online this morning, and Rich Lowry wrote a topic for the National Review where he explained, he said 'separation happens only if officials find the adult is falsely claiming to be the parent or is a threat to the child or is put into criminal proceedings,'" Doocy said.

"In other words, if somebody comes into the country illegally, breaks into the country, you are breaking the law, so you will -- you are headed for court," he continued. "Nowhere in the United States are children kept with somebody who is being, you know, remanded by marshals. If you went out and you robbed a bank, and you have got your kid in the car when they catch you."

"You are going to be separated," Earhardt said. "You are getting arrested."

Doocy quickly agreed.

"Exactly, that's exactly how they treat the kids in this case," he said. "So anyway, just trying to separate fact from friction on a very hot topic."

Co-host Brian Kilmeade lamented that the policy was proving unpopular.

"Why Rich Lowry has to write about that and administration elaborate about that succinctly and directly is beyond me," he said. "Kirstjen Nielsen's tweets help but I think they have got to go out and get in front of this."