On Friday night at the Renaissance Arlington Capitol View Hotel in Arlington, VA, the Eagle Forum’s Eagle Council, led by longtime conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, awarded Breitbart News investigative journalist Matthew Boyle with an “Eagle Award” for his investigative work on the ongoing efforts to grant amnesty to America’s illegal aliens.
At 25-years old, Boyle is one of the youngest recipients of the award ever and is one of the few, if not the only, members of the media to ever receive it.
When Schlafly was reading off the award winners for this year and got to Boyle’s name, she noted that members of the media do not usually receive this award. However, she said Boyle’s reporting on immigration reform has been so crucial to the conservative movement that she and the Eagle Forum made an exception this year and granted him the award. When Schlafly announced Boyle’s award, the several hundred in attendance loudly applauded.
Upon receiving the award, Boyle remarked: “I thank Ms. Schlafly for this honor, and for everything she does.”
It is such an honor, and very humbling, to be considered for this award and to be in the class of current and former recipients. And I thank the entire team at Breitbart News for everything they have done for me, and for the opportunities they have given me. While some members of Congress continue to drive for amnesty for illegal aliens, we are going to double our efforts to expose their activities. You can run, but you can’t hide. We are going to catch you, and let the public know what you really are doing. The way I see it, we’ve only just begun.
Others who received the award this year include NumbersUSA director of government relations Rosemary Jenks and Danielle Cutrona, Sen. Jeff Sessions’ senior counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with several other national, state, and local conservative leaders.
Boyle’s father, John Boyle, joined him at the event and is pictured above (left) with Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), who gave the keynote address at the event.
“Matthew Boyle has been nominated for the award by Eagle Forum’s Capitol Hill office for his devotion to truth and accuracy in the media as an investigative journalist,” the Eagle Forum said, as Breitbart News noted earlier this week. “Boyle endured numerous unfounded attacks from the political left and right because of his stellar reporting on Senate and House efforts to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that included amnesty for illegal aliens.”
“Boyle did the work of a true journalist by holding accountable the powerful pro-amnesty forces, including legislators and well-funded liberal and corporate interests as well as big labor unions,” they continued. “He showed true courage in writing about the backroom deals, political payoffs, even the unconstitutionality of the Senate ‘Gang of Eight’ amnesty bill.”
“Boyle gave a voice to the voiceless by telling the truth about consequences of amnesty, when other reporters ignored these important stories,” the Eagle Forum added. “He interviewed border agents who were shut out of the discussion of the Senate amnesty bill, reported on amnesty’s devastating impact on blue collar American workers, particularly black and Hispanic workers. He published the stories of families whose loved ones have been killed by illegal aliens who would be eligible for amnesty under the Dream Act.”
“For his excellence in journalism and his contribution to defending American exceptionalism, Eagle Forum is proud to award Matthew Boyle with an Eagle Award at its 42nd Annual Eagle Council held September 13th at the Renaissance Arlington Capitol View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia,” the Eagle Forum stated.
Breitbart News CEO Larry Solov said that Boyle is “a fearless reporter who just won’t quit, much less ease off the throttle one bit, until he’s gotten the story pinned down and reported.”
“Determined and tireless, he epitomizes the energy and intensity necessary to break the kind of big and original stories we regularly report at Breitbart News,” Solov said. “We at Breitbart News congratulate Matt on this well-deserved honor.”
Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon said, “Matt Boyle represents the best qualities of Breitbart News: tough, relentless and fair.”
“We are honored that Eagle Forum, an institution with a track record of identifying extraordinary talent, has chosen Matt for this award. Phyllis Schlafly knows talent and achievement, and in Matt she got both,” Bannon said.
Previous award recipients include Ronald Reagan’s Secretary of Education Bill Bennett; former presidential candidate and conservative movement leader Gary Bauer; Center for Security Policy president Frank Gaffney; former congressman Jack Kemp; Family Research Council president Tony Perkins; Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist; Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; former House Majority Leader Dick Armey; conservative columnist and author Michelle Malkin; U.S. Sens. James Inhofe (R-OK), Richard Shelby (R-AL), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN); and several other current and former members of U.S. Congress, state legislators, and conservative leaders around the country.