Former Fox News Host Tucker Carlson has accused Newsweek of attempting to create a pretext for the federal government to spy on him with a false report about his show airing in Russia. Newsweek initially claimed on Tuesday that Carlson had launched a show on Russian state television, but later revised the headline to state that his show was aired by Russian state TV.
Carlson vehemently denied these allegations, calling them “total bullsh-t” and accusing Newsweek of trying to provide justification for potential surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). He expressed frustration with what he sees as dishonesty and incompetence among reporters, stating that he had never even heard of the channel mentioned in the report.
This isn’t the first time Carlson has faced accusations related to Russia. Last September, Newsweek published a story claiming that Russian media had started broadcasting clips from Carlson’s social media show on state-controlled channels. Carlson clarified that these broadcasts were done without his knowledge or approval, emphasizing that he has never appeared as a paid host on Russian TV.
The issue of government surveillance is not new to Carlson. In June 2021, he accused the National Security Agency (NSA) of monitoring his electronic communications and planning to leak them to undermine his show. He condemned such actions as incompatible with democracy, highlighting the importance of protecting journalists and free speech.
Carlson’s history with Russia includes an attempt to arrange an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which eventually aired in February of this year. Despite these controversies, Carlson’s abrupt departure from Fox News in April last year marked the end of his tenure as the network’s top cable news host, leaving behind a legacy of conservative commentary and investigative journalism.