Tucker Carlson has faced a furious backlash for claiming US support for Ukraine is “payback” for Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
The Fox News host was accused of promoting Kremlin propaganda after he used his Monday night monologue to accuse the Biden administration of cynically exploiting the invasion, and urged Ukraine to broker a deal with Vladimir Putin.
“Democrats have convinced themselves that Russia stole the presidency that rightfully belonged to Hillary Clinton, they mean it when they say it,” Carlson said.
“The war in Ukraine is designed to cause regime change in Moscow. They want to topple the Russian government.
“That would be payback for the 2016 election. This is the logical, maybe the inevitable end stage of Russia-gate.”
Commentators on Twitter said the comments sounded like they had been lifted straight from Russian state TV.
Author Max Boot said the Fox host was “again parroting what the war criminals in the Kremlin say”.
“More Russia First propaganda from the ‘America First’ crowd.”
Journalist Aaron Rupar tweeted: “The war in Ukraine has nothing to do with Ukraine, claims Tucker Carlson.”
Former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh tweeted that ‘Yet again, Tucker Carlson tonight blaming America for Putin’s war”.
“When I was young, too many on the Left used to ‘blame America first’. Now the Right is proudly the ‘blame America first’ team, and Tucker Carlson is team captain, happily sh**ting on America night after night.”
Retired police officer Tim McMillan tweeted: “Tonight on Kremlin controlled state media… oh wait… never mind. That’s just comrade Tucker Carlson.”
“Putin wouldn’t change a word,” said Democratic activist Ron Filipkowski.
Carlson has been accused of using his sizeable cable news following to advance Russia’s interests, long before the invasion of Ukraine began in late February.
In the days before the invasion, he said Putin had never called him a racist or tried to get him fired, and asked why would he dislike him.
He also tried to undermine any moral argument for defending Ukraine by claiming it was “not a democracy” and filled with oligarchs.
He went on to push invasion-justifying conspiracy theories suggesting that Russia’s actions were justified because they wanted to dismantle secret biological research facilities.
Two weeks after the war began, ABC News‘ chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl said: “What is sort of inexplicable here is that what is being said is almost a plagiarism of Vladimir Putin.
“It’s almost word for word what Vladimir Putin.”
Resurfaced clips from 2019 showed Carlson saying he was “rooting for Russia”.
In mid-March, Carlson denied he was a Russian apologist.
