Tucker Carlson Lashes Out at ‘Loathsome’ Brian Stelter Over CNN Report He’s ‘Furious’ That Fox News Isn’t Supporting Spying Claims
Tucker Carlson snapped at CNN’s Brian Stelter over the weekend for reporting that the Fox News host is frustrated that the network isn’t doing more to back up his claims that the NSA is spying on him, according to a report from … Brian Stelter.
CNN is reporting that Carlson is “furious” with Fox’s higher-ups and complaining to colleagues about how they’ve handled his claim that the NSA has targeted him and is monitoring his communications. A source told CNN there is frequent internal strife between Carlson and Fox News’ management, but “tensions are sky high” for them over this issue now.
Carlson was asked to comment on the report, and he issued this response to Stelter:
I’m not mad at anyone at Fox. If I was, I’d say so. I’m mad at you for lying relentlessly. What a loathsome person you are. Please print that.
Carlson’s response to my request for comment today: “I’m not mad at anyone at Fox. If I was, I’d say so. I’m mad at you for lying relentlessly. What a loathsome person you are. Please print that.” We did print that… https://t.co/D4v98EUioO
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 12, 2021
If Carlson were able to prove that the NSA was spying on him — or even provide evidence to support his claims — it would be a massive news story due to the connotations of the Biden administration targeting a vocal media critic. Fox’s news division hasn’t done anything to substantially back up Carlson’s claims, investigate them, or provide any further coverage.
A Fox News spokesperson did give this response to Axios for their reporting on Carlson’s NSA claims: “We support any of our hosts pursuing interviews and stories free of government interference.”
CNN’s report also notes that “Suzanne Scott, the network’s chief executive, and Jay Wallace, the network’s president, have not issued any statements of public support for Carlson, nor have they condemned the NSA for the massive abuse of power Carlson alleges. Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch, who control Fox Corporation, have also been silent on the matter.”
Carlson has confirmed that his claims against the NSA come after he sought to interview Vladimir Putin. He insists that the NSA seized his communications and is trying to depict him as a Russian “stooge” by leaking the details to journalists.
The NSA has denied spying on Carlson, though he has condemned their statement as “infuriatingly dishonest.”
