Geraldo Rivera criticizes his Fox News colleague Tucker Carlson.


Top-rated Fox News host Tucker Carlson faced criticism Thursday — including from a well-known colleague on his own network — after he announced his plans for a docuseries series on Jan.

The three-part series “Patriot Purge” will air next month on Fox News. streaming service, Fox Nation. An 84-second trailer, aired on Fox News on Wednesday, featured the false claim that the riot was a so-called “false flag” operation designed to demonize political right.

As tense music plays on the soundtrack, Mr. Carlson says ominously, “the helicopters have left Afghanistan and have now landed here, at their home.” Various speakers convey the misconception that Democrats want to persecute and imprison conservatives.

The trailer sparked a public dismayed response from veteran Fox News reporter Geraldo Rivera, who used the disrespectful term in a Twitter post to dismiss claims that the Capitol rebellion was a “false flag” operation. There is this theory repeatedly NS refuted.

Speaking to The New York Times on Thursday, Mr. Rivera detailed his concerns.

“Tucker is great, provocative, original, but – oh dude,” Mr. Rivera said in a phone call. “There are some things you say that are more provocative, outrageous, and unverified. And I’m worried about that – and I’m probably going to get in trouble for it – but I wonder how much has been done to provoke rather than enlighten. ”

“To deal with the 6th January stuff…” added Mr. Rivera, pausing briefly. “It’s pretty clear to me that it was an insurgency that was incited, promoted, and unleashed by Donald Trump.”

When asked if he would encourage Fox News bosses to reconsider broadcasting Mr. Carlson’s special, Mr. Rivera objected, saying, “I don’t want to go there, it’s not my job.”

But for Mr Carlson, he added: “He’s my colleague. It’s my family. Sometimes you need to talk about your family.”

Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Carlson’s prime-time provocations helped him achieve the highest ratings on cable news, despite using the rhetoric sometimes used by white nationalists. He frequently questioned the extent of the January 6 attack, claiming government agents were involved and portraying the rebels as mostly peaceful.

“The vast majority of people in the Capitol on January 6 were peaceful,” he told the audience. on September 23. “They weren’t rebels, they shouldn’t have been there. They were not trying to overthrow the government. This is a complete scumbag.”

The “Patriot Purge” trailer features an interview with Darren Beattie, a former speechwriter at the Trump White House. fired in 2018 After it was revealed that he was attending a meeting with white nationalists. Ali Alexander, an extreme right-wing activist and one of the leading proponents of the lie that President Biden stole the 2020 elections, is also featured in the trailer.

Among those who criticized Mr. Carlson on Thursday was Wyoming Republican Representative Liz Cheney. In a Twitter post, he accused Fox News of giving Mr Carlson “a platform to spread the same kind of lies that incited violence on January 6”.

Mr. Rivera, who is scheduled to appear on Thursday’s episode of the Fox News afternoon show “The Five,” recently renewed his contract with the network to a multi-year deal. In an announcement last month, Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott described Mr.

Fox News wasn’t the only branch of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire to come under scrutiny this week. The Wall Street Journal was criticized Wednesday for publishing a lengthy letter from former President Donald J. Trump to the editor containing numerous lies about the integrity of the 2020 election.

Davey Alba contributing reporting.



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