Tucker Carlson demands 'smoking gun' evidence during combative interview with Democratic congressman

Tucker Carlson on Fox News.
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Current News Events 24/7)

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Monday for a contentious debate over the basis for the investigation into whether President Trump's campaign colluded with Russian meddling during the 2016 election.

Host Tucker Carlson asked how Swalwell would feel about an informant reporting to the FBI about one of his political campaigns, referring to recent reporting that an FBI informant spoke to two Trump campaign advisers to ask about suspicious contacts. "If they didn't have probable cause, I'd be pissed," said Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee. However, Swalwell argued, the FBI did have probable cause to investigate the Trump campaign.

"Of the evidence I've seen, there were very good reasons to be concerned about the contacts that the Trump campaign had," said the congressman, who insisted that investigators had acted appropriately in launching the probe. Carlson disagreed with just about everything Swalwell said, laughing at the notion that "probable cause" meant anything and accusing Swalwell of lacking common sense.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The two continued to spar as Swalwell presented unclassified evidence that the Trump campaign's actions merited an investigation, with Carlson demanding a "smoking gun" to prove collusion and Swalwell suggesting Trump was dumb enough to admit his crimes in public. Watch the full combative interview below, via Fox News. Summer Meza

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.