White House Rebukes Tucker Carlson Over Portrayal of Jan. 6 Attack - The New York Times
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Biden administration rarely criticizes conservative media stars by name, but a deputy press secretary declared that Mr. Carlson "is not credible."
Tucker Carlson's portrayal of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol as "orderly and meek" has been also been condemned by Republican lawmakers. Credit...Rebecca Noble for The New York Times
By Michael M. Grynbaum
March 8, 2023
In an unusual broadside against a major conservative television star, the Biden administration on Wednesday directly criticized the Fox News host Tucker Carlson over his on-air portrayal of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as a largely peaceful event, a depiction the White House deemed "false."
"We agree with the chief of the Capitol Police and the wide range of bipartisan lawmakers who have condemned this false depiction of the unprecedented, violent attack on our Constitution and the rule of law — which cost police officers their lives," a deputy White House press secretary, Andrew J. Bates, said in a statement.
"We also agree with what Fox News's own attorneys and executives have now repeatedly stressed in multiple courts of law: that Tucker Carlson is not credible," Mr. Bates added.
The latter part of the statement referred to revelations from the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News, which has led to the disclosure of extraordinary private communications among the network's hosts and executives.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, repeated those remarks at a briefing with reporters on Wednesday and added that Mr. Carlson's depiction of the violent events at the Capitol "is just shameful."
On his Monday and Tuesday night broadcasts, Mr. Carlson aired a compilation of Capitol surveillance footage from Jan. 6 and downplayed the violence that occurred. He presented the footage as evidence that the attack was an "orderly and meek" gathering of sightseers who had good reason to doubt the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Fox News did not immediately respond on Wednesday to a request for comment.
In a deposition released on Tuesday, an executive at Fox News Media, David Clark, who previously oversaw Fox News's weekend programming, said he did not consider Mr. Carlson's program — or the program hosted by Sean Hannity — to be a "credible source of news."
And in a previous lawsuit, in which Fox News defended Mr. Carlson against an allegation of slander, the network's lawyers argued that his program consisted of "hyperbolic opinion commentary" and described his on-air remarks as "loose, figurative or hyperbolic." The suit was dismissed.
Aides to President Biden have privately lamented Fox News's negative depiction of the president and his administration, but it is rare for a White House official to issue an on-the-record criticism of the network or one of its stars by name.
The chief of the Capitol Police, J. Thomas Manger, condemned Mr. Carlson's programs this week as "offensive and misleading." Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate's top Republican, said on Tuesday that "it was a mistake, in my view, for Fox News to depict this in a way that's completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official here at the Capitol thinks."
Other Republicans, however, have endorsed Mr. Carlson's coverage: In a Twitter post, the House Republican Conference called his segment about Jan. 6 a "MUST WATCH."
Mr. Carlson's Monday show was the highest-rated program on all of cable TV, drawing nearly 3.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
Mr. Biden has tussled in the past at news conferences with Peter Doocy, a Fox News White House correspondent, but when the president did criticize Mr. Doocy personally using an epithet, it was caught by a live microphone; the president later called Mr. Doocy to clear the air.
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Tucker Carlson Has Been REBUKED!
WOW! I bet that has poor Tucker shaking in his expensive shoes!
But what the tapes show cannot be REFUTED!
What does one do once one has been "rebuked"? Does this impact his golf game in some way? Do his car insurance rates go up or something?
And does someone have to be "buked" before they can be "re-buked"? If so, does someone do any analysis on why the orginal "buke" was ineffective and had to be redone? Who is in charge of that? Is there a government agency or something?
Once again, we have so many more questions than answers......
He obviously learned from Democrats and media claiming the "Summer of Love" were mostly peaceful protests.
So 1,200 entered the Capitol- not all of them violent, or doing any damage. Many let in by DC police and security. Out of 120,000 attending the Trump rally/protest.
So it was a mostly peaceful protest. Numbers don't lie. But Democrats and their media shills sure as hell do!
The 1,200 number is how many face charges!
Wrong............
Additional charges are pending. Trump said a million were there!
See 4.1.1
Also, cram the "Parading" charges where the sun won't shine and the rain won't go.
Fucking partisan human POS Garland thinks being allowed into the Capitol Building by DC police and milling around and leaving (no violence or damage done) is a chargeable crime. They were wearing Trump paraphernalia, and taking selfies! The fucking horror! Some even made sure to stay between the tethered lines the police set up! They should be thrown in prison and locked up forever!/S
Leftists wonder why no one with a brain respects our legal system any longer.
Trump said at his rally! There is a difference between the rally and the riot!
I already gave you the estimated numbers at the rally in #4. As well as the best estimated numbers of those that entered the Capitol Building.
You don't get to charge people for attending a political rally and exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and free speech. This isn't China, Russia, North Korea, or Iran- no matter how badly Democrats and leftists desire it to be so.
Rebuked by the Whitehouse?
Lions, tigers and bears
OH MY!
Tucker Carlson shook the tree and look what fell out.
I’m sorry, but that is not good enough. I’ve seen the video he showed and there appear to legitimately be things that people need to answer for. Like cops escorting “insurrectionists” through the halls of the Capitol. Like cops opening doors for these allegedly scary people. Like tear gas being fired into a crowd that (the portion we can see, at any rate) does appear to be peacefully protesting.
If something has been doctored or unfairly edited, then Congress has the power to show whatever they think the proper context is. But until they do that, they are the ones who are not credible.
What's the over/under on how many morons show up here and accuse you of defending Trump? I'm going with 3.