Tucker Carlson Tries to Walk Back Defense of Putin’s ‘Killing’ After Navalny Death
Tucker Carlson
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson paused his charm offensive on Vladimir Putin’s behalf to express outrage over the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Friday.
Navalny was poisoned by Putin after years of activism against his authoritarian regime back in 2020, but nevertheless returned to Russia the following year where he was promptly thrown in prison. The Russian prison service reported that the 47-year-old Navalny collapsed and expired after a walk on Friday, but its word is to be doubted since it is under the control of Putin.
Carlson interviewed Putin last week and has also released a series of videos from his time in Moscow in which he marvels over everything in sight, from subway stations to grocery carts.
Additionally, at an event in Dubai on Monday, Carlson defended Putin’s penchant for ending lives he deems a threat, or even just inconvenient to him.
After it was pointed out that Carlson didn’t challenge Putin on his human rights record and body count during his interview with him, Carlson explained that he “didn’t talk about the things that every other American media outlet talks about.”
He continued:
Because those are covered and because I have spent my life talking to people who run countries in various countries and have concluded the following: that every leader kills people, including my leader.
Every leader kills people, some kill more than others. Leadership requires killing people, sorry, that’s why I wouldn’t want to be a leader. That press restriction is universal in the United States, I know because I’ve lived it. Ask my former – I’ve had a lot of jobs.
But Carlson struck a different tune after he was contacted by the Daily Mail about Navalny on Friday, saying, “It’s horrifying what happened to Navalny. The whole thing is barbaric and awful. No decent person would defend it.”
Carlson has long been criticized for his defenses of Putin’s Russia, which he has suggested is despised by American policymakers because of its respect for “Christian precepts” and not Putin’s public vows to end America’s global influence.
