Tucker Carlson’s pro-Putin bias has gone too far, Kremlin Television says

With the Russian army regularly mass at the border of Ukraine and a potential threat of an invasion that the White House describes as “imminent,” Fox News host Tucker Carlson will let you see the other way.

In the episode of his second show, Carlson consider: “Why not be loyal to Russia but loyal to Ukraine?” Three years ago, Carlson admitted that he was supporting Russia in its conflict with Ukraine. He speak, in part: “Why should I care… what is happening in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? And I’m serious. Why should I care? Why shouldn’t I root for Russia, which I am? ”

Faced with criticism, Carlson responded to his comment and insisted he was “joking.” In 2022, he does not hesitate to promote arguments supported by the Kremlin and no longer makes excuses. So far, Carlson will support the Russian propaganda narrative that prominent figures on Kremlin-sponsored state television are concerned about his future in the United States. Last Sunday, one of Russia’s most watched TV networks Channel one play clip from Carlson’s show, where he argues that Russia’s anger over NATO’s alleged involvement in Ukraine is well-founded. Correspondent Ivan Blagoy later noted that the Fox News host was “predictably accused of playing with Moscow.”

Broadcasting the same translated clip of Carlson last week on Russia’s second most watched television network, Rossiya-1‘s server 60 minutes Evgeny Popov praised Carlson for describing him as one of the “voices of truth and reason” and complain that ‘s server most watched show in all cable news with millions of viewers being “silent and marginalized”. In 2020, Popov proves his relationship with Carlson by introduce he is “actually our co-host.”

Last Wednesday, Russia’s English-speaking state media agency RT published an article by the Irish commentator Graham Dockery, who amazing: “Once seen as the sewer of neoconservative mockery, Fox News is now anti-war — or at least its most prized host is… the right side just disagrees. ideas about how quickly and forcefully the United States should move in to stave off a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. Only Carlson, considered far-right by American libertarians, is completely opposed to American involvement”. RTThe writer complains that “the only antiwar voice over prime-time fiber optic cable happened to belong to a man libertarians believe to be a ‘white supremacist'”, since that greatly diminished his influence.

That same day, protesting US intervention against Russian aggression, Carlson motivated his audience by claim: “You’re currently funding a proxy war in Ukraine against nuclear-armed Russian troops and that could very well spark a hot war that includes you, the United States.” The tactic of terrorizing the American audience with the possibility of nuclear war, aimed at weakening US support for Ukraine, has been repeatedly discussion of experts on Russian state television. Describing Ukraine as a mediocre country of no importance to the United States — unworthy of such an alleged risk — Carlson derided it as “a small corrupt state.”

On Thursday, Carlson repeated the same bit and description Ukraine – the largest country entirely within Europe and the second largest on the continent after Russia – is “a pretty little country”. He added: “Vladimir Putin is our most dangerous enemy, they shouted. We cannot let him hurt Ukraine. So it turns out that Russiagate is actually more effective than we realize. The Steele dossier has been debunked, but in Washington the subject remains valid: Russia, Russia, Russia. Russia is bad. What is this about, exactly? Well, obviously it’s the usual collection of kids falling into the usual collection of lies, but why this particular lie? ” He then added: “You still have to ask yourself, aggression or not, why is any of this deeply concerning to us? Why would you even consider risking American lives or sending billions of dollars to stop it? “

Predictably, Carlson’s portrayal of Ukraine as a petty, corrupt, insignificant country with no consequences for the United States is entirely consistent with the way Russia’s scorned neighbor is being smeared. on state television funded by the Kremlin, intended to humiliate the fledgling democracy and dissuade it from Russian aggression. This Tuesday, 60 minutes Broadcast a series of translated clips from Carlson’s shows on Fox News. Host Popov added: “Indeed, I can imagine a cattle rancher in Montana. What does he care about Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty? The same goes for at least 320 million Americans. The rest can actually find Ukraine on the map. Popov dismisses the entire American people as uneducated or indifferent to Ukraine’s fate — or both.

On Monday, Representative Tom Malinowski of New Jersey proved that the Russian propagandist was at least partly right. Written On Twitter: “My office is currently receiving calls from people who say they follow Tucker Carlson and are upset that we are not on Russia’s side in threats to invade Ukraine and who want my support. Russia’s ‘reasonable’ views.”

Last summer, Carlson complained of being labeled a “target” by the National Security Agency (NSA) for surveillance, as a result of his dealings with “Kremlin middlemen who have based in the United States” in an attempt to secure an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The NSA refuted Carlson’s allegations by saying that the presenter “has never been an intelligence target,” which could mean any communications collected would be random and not directed at him. me but his Kremlin contacts. RT seems to be as inflamed as Tucker himself, shoots out at least 13 articles on that topic.

United States Department of State’s Global Interaction Center (GEC) description RT and its sister network Sputnik are “important elements in Russia’s ecosystem of propaganda and disinformation.” One of their purposes was to promote the idea that the United States should withdraw from its global leadership position, which would allow Russia to pursue its expansionist goals without faltering. Carlson’s arguments seem complete straight with the Kremlin’s pursuits, that’s why they are so frequent praise by Russian state media.

In early January, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu assertive that “Russia cannot lose the information war” against the West. Surely it wouldn’t hurt if a major media figure broadcast propaganda that directly benefits Moscow to millions of Americans.

Independent Russian TV channel Dozhdalso known as Rain TV, Carlson noted an uncanny loyalty to the Kremlin. On Tuesday, presenter Ekaterina Kotrikadze shown: “Tucker Carlson is one of the brightest personalities of the conservative American television channel Fox News. It sometimes appears that he attends advanced training courses at the Russian Foreign Ministry.”