Mediamarch on washingtonBill O'Reilly

Bill O'Reilly Falsely Claims Republicans Not Invited To March On Washington Event (VIDEO)

Bill O'Reilly Makes Major Mistake
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Senior Media Editor, The Huffington Post

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Bill O'Reilly got a few things wrong about the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington on Wednesday.

Some had wondered why no Republicans appeared to be involved in commemorating the historic day. Though three Democratic presidents spoke at the event marking the moment, no Republicans did, and there were no other GOP officials who participated.

Answers were quickly given for this state of affairs. Both presidents Bush had bowed out of the event, citing health issues. Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor were both invited, but declined to attend. (Cantor had a meeting with oil lobbyists instead, and Boehner spoke at a Congressional event.) Jeb Bush and John McCain also declined. Moreover, every member of Congress was invited.

O'Reilly must not have seen all of this information, because he got angry that, in his words, "no Republican or conservative" was invited to the event. They were!

He even mentioned George W. Bush as an example of this unfortunate (but false) turn of events.

"I do not know if he wasn't invited," guest James Carville said of Bush.

"He wasn't," O'Reilly said. (Wrong!) "No Republican or conservative was invited." (Also wrong!)

(via Media Matters)

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Before You Go

March On Washington, 1963
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FILE - In this Aug. 28, 1963, file photo shows civil rights demonstrators gather at the Washington Monument grounds before noon, before marching to the Lincoln Memorial, seen in the far background at right, where the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom will end with a speech by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., now known as the "I Have A Dream" speech. Next Wednesday, the nations first black president will stand near the spot where King stood 50 years ago, a living symbol of the racial progress King dreamed about, and enunciate where he believes this nation should be headed. (AP Photo, File) (credit:AP)
(FILES) US civil rights leader Martin Lu(02 of18)
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(FILES) US civil rights leader Martin Luther King,Jr. waves to supporters 28 August 1963 from the Lincoln Memorial on the Mall in Washington DC during the 'March on Washington'. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King delivered his 'I Have a Dream' speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 28 August, 2003 marks the 40th anniversay of the speech. King was assassinated on 04 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray, who confessed to the shooting and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. AFP PHOTO/FILES (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
More than 200,000 civil right supporters gather 28(03 of18)
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WASHINGTON, : More than 200,000 civil right supporters gather 28 August, 1963 on the Mall in Washington DC ( Washington Monument in background) during the 'March on Washington', that US civil rights leader Martin Luther King,Jr. said the march was 'the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of the United States.' King delivered his 'I have a dream' speech during the rally, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. 28 August, 2003 marks the 40th anniversary of the speech. King was assassinated on 04 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee by James Earl Ray, who confessed to shooting King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. AFP PHOTO/FILES (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(FILES) US civil rights leader Martin Lu(04 of18)
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(FILES) US civil rights leader Martin Luther KIng (3rd from L) walks with supporters during the 'March on Washington' 28 August, 1963 after which, King delivered the 'I Have a Dream' speech from the steps of the LIncoln Memorial. 28 August, 2003 marks the 40th anniversary of the famous speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. King was assassinated on 04 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray confessed to shooting King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. AFP PHOTO/FILES (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(FILES) The clergyman and civil rights l(05 of18)
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(FILES) The clergyman and civil rights leader Martin Luther KIng (C) and other black and white civil right leaders march 28 August 1963 on the Mall in Washington DC during the 'March on Washington'. King said the march was 'the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of the United States.' Martin Luther King was assassinated on 04 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray confessed to shooting King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. King's killing sent shock waves through American society at the time, and is still regarded as a landmark event in recent US history. (Photo credit should read OFF/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
US clergyman and civil rights leader Martin Luther(06 of18)
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WASHINGTON, : US clergyman and civil rights leader Martin Luther KIng (ctr, rt.) and other major American leaders of the Black civil rights movement (l-r) John Lewis, Whitney Young, Philip Randolph, M. L. King, James Farmer and Roy Wilkins, meet 06 March 1963 in New York during a meeting dedicated to the organization of the 'March on Washington', held 28 August 1963 to promote civil rights for Afro-Americans. Martin Luther King was assassinated 04 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. James Earl Ray confessed to shooting King and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. King's killing sent shock waves through American society at the time, and is still regarded as a landmark event in recent US history. (Photo credit should read AFP/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
NBC News: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 1963(07 of18)
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NBC News -- MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM 1968 -- Pictured: (l-r) NBC News' Merrill 'Red' Mueller, actor Paul Newman during an interview at Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom political rally in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963 -- (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
NBC News: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 1963(08 of18)
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NBC News -- MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM 1968 -- Pictured: (l-r) Actor Sammy Davis Jr., NBC News' Merrill 'Red' Mueller, NAACP President Roy Wilkins during an interview at Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom political rally in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963 -- (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
NBC News: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 1963(09 of18)
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NBC News -- MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM 1968 -- Pictured: Civil Rights activists gather on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom political rally in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963 -- (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
NBC News: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 1963(10 of18)
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NBC News -- MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM 1968 -- Pictured: NBC News' Nancy Dickerson (left) during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom political rally in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963 -- (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
NBC News: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 1963(11 of18)
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NBC News -- MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM 1968 -- Pictured: (l-r) United Auto Workers Union President Walter Reuther, NBC News' Ray Scherer during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom political rally in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963 -- (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
NBC News: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 1963(12 of18)
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NBC News -- MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM 1968 -- Pictured: (l-r) Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, NBC News' Ray Scherer during an interview at Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom political rally in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963 -- (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
NBC News: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 1963(13 of18)
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NBC News -- MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM 1968 -- Pictured: (l-r) NBC News' Nancy Dickerson, Mississippi SNCC March Coordinator Joyce Ladner during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom political rally in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963 -- (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
March On Washington Buttons(14 of18)
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Civil rights campaigner and organizer Karen House holds up buttons for the upcoming 'March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom,' Washington, DC, August 1, 1963. During the August 28 event Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his now famous 'I have a dream' speech to a crowd of several hundred thousand. The buttons, which depcit a black hand and a white hand clasped in solidarity, were supplied by the NAACP. (Photo by Arnold Sachs/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
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FILE - In this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo, President Kennedy stands with a group of leaders of the March on Washington at the White House in Washington. Immediately after the march, they discussed civil rights legislation that was finally inching through Congress. The leaders pressed Kennedy to strengthen the legislation; the president listed many obstacles. Some believe Kennedy preferred to wait until after the 1964 election to push the issue. Yet in his public speeches, he spoke more and more about justice for all. From second left are Whitney Young, National Urban League; Dr. Martin Luther King, Christian Leadership Conference; John Lewis, Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, partially obscured; Rabbi Joachim Prinz, American Jewish Congress; Dr. Eugene P. Donnaly, National Council of Churches; A. Philip Randolph, AFL-CIO vice president; Kennedy; Walter Reuther, United Auto Workers; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, partially obscured, and Roy Wilkins, NAACP. (AP Photo/File) (credit:AP)
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This August 28, 1963 publicity photo provided by PBS, courtesy Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos, shows activists during The March on Washington in Washington, D.C. from the film,"Makers: Women Who Make America." The Womens Movement was influenced in part by the Civil Rights Movement. The three-hour PBS documentary about the fight for women's equality, airs Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, and features prominent activists including Gloria Steinem and Marlo Thomas. (AP Photo/PBS, Courtesy Leonard Freed, Magnum Photos) (credit:AP)
Clinton Brown(17 of18)
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FILE - In this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo, the top of the Washington Monument and part of a U.S. flag are reflected in the sunglasses of Austin Clinton Brown, 9, of Gainesville, Ga., as he poses at the Capitol where he joins others in the March on Washington. The March on Washington was just one of a number of historical events that occurred in 1963. (AP Photo/File) (credit:AP)
Martin Luther King; Dorothy Height(18 of18)
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FILE - In this Aug. 28, 1963 file photo, Dorothy Height, right, National President of the National Council of Negro Women and Director of the center for Racial Justice of the national YWCA, listens as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., gestures during his "I Have a Dream" speech as he addresses thousands of civil rights supporters gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. Height, who as longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women was the leading female voice of the 1960s civil rights movement, died Tuesday, April 20, 2010. She was 98. (AP Photo, File) (credit:AP)
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