Tucker Carlson Hits Back At Critics, Reveals He’s Seeking Interviews with ‘Tyrants’ Putin and Zelensky: ‘That Is Not Treason’
On Monday, Tucker Carlson responded to those who have accused him of being sympathetic toward the aims of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier in the day Putin announced he is recognizing two breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent and is sending “peacekeeping” troops there in what is a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The Fox News host reiterated his position that Ukraine is not a “vital ally,” and that China – not Russia – is the greatest threat to the United States.
“Ukraine is not even a democracy despite what Joe Biden endlessly claims,” Carlson said. “Ukraine is a corrupt eastern European autocracy that has spent millions of dollars lobbying politicians in Washington and by the way, made Joe Biden’s family rich. Those are not Russian talking points. They are entirely true. And because they are true, no one in the administration is willing to debate or rebut them, not for a second. Instead, they just call you a traitor.”
Carlson played a clip of Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) on MSNBC calling Carlson’s position “sickening” and “un-American.”
“This is a continuation of the propaganda machine of Fox, so it’s not surprising, but really, really disappointing,” the congressman said.
Carlson stated that Cicilline was agitated at the fact that the Fox News host sought an interview with Putin last year. But, Carlson noted, NBC News has interviewed the Russian president.
“That was completely fine,” the host said. “But our efforts to do the same are not allowed. They’re quote, ‘un-American.'”
He then highlighted a now deleted tweet from Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, who gauchely argued that Carlson had committed “treason.”
Carlson repeated the claim that he made last year that the National Security Agency had “spied” on his emails and texts. “They want us to be quiet,” he said.
He then revealed that his show reached out to Putin again, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“But we won’t be quiet, and not just because this is a news organization,” he said. “Because we’re Americans and we can talk to anyone we want. We can have any opinion we feel like having. That is not treason, it is not un-American. It’s the whole point of America. It is our Bill of Rights, distilled. So today, we sent another letter to Vladimir Putin asking for an interview. We hope we get it. We also sent a message to the president of Ukraine. We would like that interview too.
“Now, neither one of these men runs a democracy by traditional American standards. Both of them are tyrants. But they’re in the news and we would love to talk to them. An interview is hardly an endorsement.”
Carlson added he also reached out to Cicilline for an interview, calling him a “former mafia lawyer” who is a “repulsive man.”
Watch above via Fox News.
