Tucker Carlson’s latest January 6th revisionism proves yet again he’s an enemy of democracy and truth – and Fox News is financing it.
Last night, Tucker Carlson said this during the opening commentary of his Fox News show:
CARLSON: [A]ctually, if you take three steps back as historical events go, if we are being honest now, January 6th barely rates as a footnote. Really not a lot happened that day, if you think about it.
The presidential election was not overturned. The Capitol was not destroyed. The government wasn't toppled no matter what you may have heard, not a single elected official was injured, thank God. Police got shoved, unfortunately, punches were thrown. But the only person who wound up dead from violence was an unarmed protester who was shot to death without warning by a cop.
None of the so-called insurrectionists had guns. When was the last time we saw an insurrection like that?
So looking back, you could probably call what happened on January 6 a riot. We have called it that, but really only just a riot, maybe just barely. By recent standards, it was an embarrassingly tepid effort. No one even bothered to set a fire or spray paint slogans on the walls.
FACT CHECK: Carlson cleverly parsed his words to mislead on the menace and harm attempted by the insurrectionists. They may not have had firearms but they were armed with stun guns, pepper spray, baseball bats and flagpoles wielded as clubs. Carlson conveniently ignored how three other rioters died on January 6th, one police officer later died and two others committed suicide. Also, the crowd chanted that they wanted to lynch then-Vice President Mike Pence. Hardly a nothingburger, which is even more laughable considering the cowardly Carlson turned a knock on his door by a peaceful protester into “Antifa broke my door.”
But don’t take it from me, take it from Fox’s own congressional correspondent, Chad Pergram, who was there. Yesterday, he published – on FoxNews.com – his reflections of January 6, 2021. He not only called what happened an “insurrection,” he described it as “one of the most toxic, intense days.”
I never thought I would witness fellow citizens storm America’s citadel of democracy, break glass windows, assault police officers, defecate on the Milton tile floors of the Capitol and attempt to barge into the Speaker’s Lobby with intent to do God knows what.
Chilling doesn’t do the scenario justice.
…
It’s another thing to face a violent throng whipped into a fever like the one a year ago.
In other words, Carlson is either lying through his teeth (while claiming his show is “the sworn enemy of lying”)
or he just made up his alternate version of reality to add fodder to his war on America.
Either scenario is heinous in a guy who gets paid to act as a primetime news host, even if Fox claims nobody should believe him. But it’s even more appalling that Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch pay Carlson big bucks to spew that swill.
You can watch the disinformation the Murdochs bankroll below, from the January 6, 2022 Tucker Carlson Tonight, via Media Matters.
Regarding Carlson’s bizarre statements:
1. He’s flat-out lying about what happened. This was a serious matter, one where a mob physically attacked the Capitol and attempted to physically attack the Congress in order to stop them from going through the usual process to confirm the election of a President. Because they couldn’t bear to admit that Pence’s childish former spokesman is a loser. Because Pence’s childish former spokesman can’t admit that to himself.
2. Carlson threw in a blatant lie about the death of Ashli Babbitt, when he said that she was “an unarmed protestor who was shot to death without warning by a cop.” Let’s try that one again. Babbitt was an unstable and violent person who had a history of threatening and attacking others. (A brief look into her history reveals that, among other things. She was, among other things, a major Qanon follower, as evidenced by her own statements, usually angry and violent ones.) Babbitt was killed by a Capitol Policeman while she was in the act of attempting to lead a breach to take over the Speaker’s Lobby and then attack Congressmembers. The policeman repeatedly warned the crowd to stay back and fired his weapon when Babbitt continued to try to breach the door windows and open the doors. Had Babbitt succeeded, the Lobby would have been flooded with the angry mob and one can only imagine how many Congressmembers would have been assaulted or worse. Had Babbitt followed the instruction of the policeman, she would be alive today. Her refusal to do so, and her commitment to attack, makes clear that she was not an innocent tourist. She intended harm, and sadly, she received harm.
3. It’s fairly obvious that Carlson is pandering to his audience. He knows full well what happened in the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. But he also knows full well that if he admits what happened on the air, he’ll alienate the angry Right Wingers Fox News is desperate to keep in the fold. Further, if he admits ANYTHING, he will potentially lose his position and be replaced by someone along the lines of Jesse Watters or who knows who else.
4. It is important for all sane people to remember what actually happened, not only on January 6, 2021, but throughout the miserable epoch of the Pence White House, and throughout the bizarre behavior of angry Right Wingers going back 25 years, and frankly throughout the despicable tenure of Fox News.
Also, I was notified today that my ex-stepmother died in her sleep last night. I’m not mourning her passing but it’s a shock to my system as I can barely remember a time she wasn’t part of my family.
I hope Brian will forgive me for not getting to his post today!
Apart from Hannity, he’s the most pompous, smug, lying promoter of groupthink in the entire Fox lineup. But as is so typical for these people, they wear it proudly on their sleeves and simply declare the opposite, and evidently that’s all it takes.
I’m really sorry to hear about the situation in Philadelphia, which seems to be typical of the whole of the USA. At least the doctors and nurses are being paid extra for the hard work most of them have probably already been doing.
All we can do as non-medical people is do our best to avoid needing medical attention. I have my 3 shots and will take the 4th and 5th if necessary; I wear the highest quality masks everywhere and I keep my distance.
Fact is, you see, they tried their damn-dest best to overturn the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE of democracy. And, aren’t the penalties for attempted crime pretty similar to those for perpetrated crime? Failure doesn’t get anyone a reduced sentence.
In any case, I’d be willing to bet my morning coffee that this is the first time some of Tucker’s followers have even HEARD a word about such things happening on January 6th. Do I dare hope that wakes some of them up from their deep sleep? Well, one can hope.
Off-topic: Covid has entered my little circle which includes a few no-vaxxers (the reason I’ve been avoiding them for several months). One of the latter has now been exposed to a positive case with serious symptoms and he has decided to do the right thing. Doesn’t help to know that about half the rapid tests with the current kits don’t pick up Omicron as well as they do Delta (50% false results). Italy really dropped the ball on sequencing so we don’t have a clue as to how prevalent the new strain is.
