Still posturing as a free speech champion, Tucker Carlson suggested last night that Media Matters should lose its tax exempt status, knowing full well that the Fox Fan in Chief considers Fox News his most trusted advisers (after Putin, maybe).
Carlson was undoubtedly feeling the heat even before Media Matters announced a demonstration in front of Fox News headquarters for today, the same day that Fox was promoting its news brand, and distancing itself from the opinion shows, for advertisers. An advertiser boycott against Carlson was already in effect, then gained more steam after Media Matters unearthed a series of shockingly racist and misogynistic audios of Carlson Sunday and Monday. Today, the count is reportedly up to 34.
On Monday night, Carlson played the free speech victim and champion standing up to “the mob.”
Last night, Carlson became the mob. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, I guess. I've edited out some of Carlson's claims of Media Matters collusion with Democrats because you can get the gist without them all:
CARLSON: This is what weaponized politics looks like. Criticize the people in charge and the SPLC will sic men with guns on you. It's terrifying. Even worse, you are subsidizing it without knowing it. Both the SPLC and Media Matters are, amazingly, tax exempt organizations.
In its original tax application to the IRS, Media Matters claimed that the American news media were dominated by a pro-Christian bias that needed them to balance it. Despite the obvious absurdity of that claim, the group received nonprofit status. It has been violating the terms of that status flagrantly ever since.
For example, during the Obama administration, Media Matters held weekly strategy discussions with the White House about how to hurt its political enemies. Media Matters kept an enemies list of Republicans to destroy, including Steve King of Iowa. This is a violation of federal tax law.
Tax exempt nonprofits cannot function as an arm of a political party. Media Matters clearly does. According to a piece in the "New Republic," a liberal magazine, Media Matters changed its mission during the 2016 Democratic primaries to campaign for Hillary Clinton. We were, quote, "Running defense for Clinton," one Media Matters staff said, quote, "Defending Hillary from every blogger in their mother's basement."
[..]
This isn't just unethical, it is illegal.
Under IRS Regulations 501 (c) (3), nonprofits are totally prohibited from participating in campaigns of political candidates. Media Matters broke the law. The group has never been punished for this, though it is widely known. Media Matters retains its tax exempt status. That means that you and every other taxpayer is subsidizing attacks on our own First Amendment. Why is this? How can this be happening? Maybe someone should call the IRS tomorrow morning and find out.
I have no idea of how Media Matters did or did not collaborate with political campaigns or candidates nor the legal requirements for tax exempt organizations. I do know that demonstrations against Fox and advertiser boycotts are not attacks on the First Amendment (which prohibits government from impeding free speech).
I also know that Carlson has no business whining about anyone else weaponizing politics. Besides his over-heated and baseless claim that Media Matters will “sic men with guns” on its opponents, Carlson regularly uses violent language to demonize those with whom he disagrees. On Friday night, he suggested critics of Paul Manafort’s lenient sentence were “out for blood.” Not just Manafort’s but any Trump supporter’s as well. In August, he said, “The left is officially out of epithets. All that’s left is physical harm. Who’ll be the first to call for that?” A month before that, he said, “The left has run out of possible verbal attacks on President Trump – there are none left – all that’s left is violence.”
So while I’m not a fan of advertiser boycotts, I’m certainly not crying for Carlson, either. Carlson has made a lot of money by weaponizing politics, race and sexism. Now that karma’s a b***h, he can’t take it.
Watch the meltdown below, from the March 12, 2019 Tucker Carlson Tonight.