Bill Barr's meeting with Fox News chairman should be investigated

Editor's Note : Dean Obeidallah, a former attorney, is the host of SiriusXM radio's daily program "The Dean Obeidallah Show" and a columnist for The Daily Beast. Follow him @DeanObeidallah . The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN) — There was an interesting development about Fox News in recent days, and it wasn't just about the sudden departure of anchor Shephard Smith.

Why did Attorney General Bill Barr meet Wednesday night with Fox News chairman Rupert Murdoch , and (as the New York Times reported) do so at the media mogul's home?

Neither would publicly comment, but the meeting — between a public servant who has shown himself increasingly as a Trump loyalist, and the owner of the President's longtime favorite, cheerleading, cable news network — has raised a few eyebrows, and with good reason.

As Rep. Harley Rouda, a California Democrat who serves on the House Oversight committee, bluntly declared on my SiriusXM radio show Friday: "What the hell is the attorney general of the United States doing meeting with the head of Fox? And for what purpose could that possibly be, especially in light of the fact this is happening exactly at the same time the president of the United States is saying Fox News isn't being kind enough to him?"

Rouda added he believes it's within the purview of the House Oversight committee to investigate this meeting.