Fox NewsChris Wallace has lived in Washington for a long time, certainly long enough to have seen the 2004 passage of the District’s ban on handheld cell phone use while driving. But perhaps the Fox News Sunday host missed the memo, because on Thursday, he was pulled over for driving while holding a phone to his ear—while giving a radio interview.
Wallace was hamming it up with Jamie Allman, the morning drive host on FM NewsTalk 97.1, a conservative talk-radio station in St. Louis. The two were discussing President Obama’s reelection campaign and its messaging when all of a sudden, Wallace said abruptly that he needed to end the segment.
“I’m talking to you on a cell phone and there’s a policeman here and I probably shouldn’t have been talking on a cell phone,” Wallace said. “So, uh. I’m about to get arrested. Good-bye.”
Allman and his co-host sounded a bit perplexed and in disbelief that Wallace was about to be arrested. Despite some blog chatter, the Fox News host was not actually cuffed.
Driving while holding a phone to one’s head is, of course, inadvisable, but it’s not actually an arrest-worthy offense. Simply failing to use a hands-free device comes with a $100 fine, not a trip to the pokey.
Via Mediaite, here’s audio of Wallace’s sudden hang-up:
