Bill O'Reilly began his show, The O'Reilly Factor, Friday by defending himself against accusations that he embellished some of his past stories.
The accusations first appeared in Mother Jones under the headline "Bill O'Reilly Has His Own Brian Williams Problem."
The story questioned O'Reilly's claims about reporting on El Salvador and the Falklands War in the 1980s. The Mother Jones story brought up numerous instances it claimed O'Reilly had embellished his roles.
Unlike Williams, however, O'Reilly did not apologize or backpedal.
Instead, O'Reilly slammed Mother Jones Friday, as the "bottom rung of Journalism in America."
O'Reilly went on to call Mother Jones editor David Corn — who co-wrote the piece — a liar and a "far-left guttersnipe" who "smeared me."
O'Reilly ultimately explained his side of the story, and declared that "everything that I've said about my reportorial career is true."
After criticizing Mother Jones, O'Reilly went after CNN's Brian Stelter, who he called "another far left zealot masquerading as a journalist."
Finally, O'Reilly focused his sights on Sen. Al Franken (D-Minnesota).
O'Reilly brought up Franken because, he said, the "whole scandal" reminded him of "another guy who got completely away" with smearing people.
O'Reilly then went on to blast Franken's questions about O'Reilly's working-class upbringing.
O'Reilly also called Franken "despicable" and "perhaps the biggest liar I have ever known."
