Tucker Carlson Grilled By BBC Host in Testy Exchange: Are You Concerned About ‘Broadcasting Nazi-Loving Holocaust-Denying Guests?’

Tucker Carlson was confronted about critics who have called him an antisemite, and about platforming avowed white supremacist Nick Fuentes, in a testy BBC interview Sunday.

On the BBC’s program Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, presenter Victoria Derbyshire pressed Carlson about elected members of Congress accusing him of antisemitism.

“You have said that you have been called antisemitic because of your opposition to the US joining Israel in fighting this war,” Derbyshire said. “In March, senior Republican Senator Ted Cruz [TX] said ‘anti-semitism is being spread by loud voices, the most consequential of whom is Tucker Carlson.’ Republican Congressman Randy Fine [FL] called you ‘the most dangerous anti-semite in America.’ What do you say to that?”

“Of course I’m not an anti-Semite,” Carlson replied. “And that’s why they’re calling me one. Because my position on Israel has nothing to do with the religion or ethnicity of Israelis, it has everything to do decisions made by its government that hurt my country. And so in order to avoid having that debate, the fastest and most expedient way to end it is by calling the person trying to raise it a bigot. And I just don’t think that works anymore. I would say that what matters in politics and in life is what you do. I think anti-Semitism and racism of all kinds, including anti-white racism, are all immoral and anti-Christian, and I oppose them.”

But Derbyshire proceeded to note Carlson’s interview last year with Fuentes — who has a lengthy history of antisemitic commentary and has frequently praised Adolf Hitler.

“You said a moment ago ‘what matters in politics is what you do,'” Derbyshire told Carlson “You had far-right commentator Nick Fuentes on your show who — as you know — said ‘Hitler was really effing cool,’ ‘Hitler was awesome,’ ‘Hitler was right the Holocaust didn’t happen’ and said on his podcast in his view ‘Jewish people are the problem rather than Israel.'”

“I disagree with that,” Carlson said.

“Right,” Derbyshire replied. “Do you have concerns that broadcasting Nazi-loving Holocaust-denying guests to your audience and potentially mainstreaming and normalizing those views is an issue?”

“I’ve said that I disagreed with Fuentes on those questions,” Carlson responded. “I don’t think that you should ever judge or attack people on the basis of their bloodline. I also interviewed Ted Cruz. I tried to interview Randy Fine.”

Derbyshire tried to interject, but Carlson asked to finish his point.

“Both [Cruz and Fine] have defended the genocide in Gaza, the murder of children,” Carlson said. “And I would say that sending money to a military that murders children is a little bit more significant a moral crime than saying ugly things.”

“Do you think Fuentes is antisemitic?” Derbyshire asked.

“It sounded like it to me,” Carlson said. “I said that to him, and I said I oppose antisemitism, which I sincerely do. And by the way, unlike the UK, we have a First Amendment. So if I was an antisemite, I guess I would just say so at this point, I don’t know why I would lie about it. But I oppose it, and I’ve opposed it in public consistently for my entire public life.”

Watch above, via the BBC.

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