Tucker Carlson was late to realize that maybe Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t such a stand-up guy, but that hasn’t stopped him from spewing lunatic anti-Ukraine nonsense. The Fox News host has used his highly watched nightly program to air unhinged conspiracy theories. There’s one place his rants are popular: Russia, who’ve been airing his segments on state TV. Now we’re learning that doing that isn’t an option. It’s an order.
Mother Jones obtained a 12-page document from the Kremlin that instructed state-friendly media outlets to air plenty of Tucker. “It is essential to use as much as possible fragments of broadcasts of the popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who sharply criticizes the actions of the United States [and] NATO, their negative role in unleashing the conflict in Ukraine, [and] the defiantly provocative behavior from the leadership of the Western countries and NATO towards the Russian Federation and towards President Putin, personally,” the memo reads.
The document cogently sums up Carlson’s take on the invasion like this: “Russia is only protecting its interests and security.” It also includes a Tucker quote Kremlin officials really enjoyed: “And how would the US behave if such a situation developed in neighboring Mexico or Canada?”
The document is one of many that have been sent to media outlets in Russia, where independent reporting is now verboten. The nation’s leaders want its citizens to live in a bubble, where they’re fed lies about Ukraine and the many nations that have supported it over the last three weeks. Luckily, they have Fox News’ biggest star to help them.
(Via Mother Jones)