Text messages released Tuesday as part of the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News show that two days before the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, network host Tucker Carlson was excited about the prospect of no longer having to cover former President Donald Trump, telling staffers, "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can't wait."
One person responded, "I want nothing more," to which Carlson replied, "I hate him passionately." Carlson went on to say that when it came to Trump's four years in office, "We're all pretending we've got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it's been is too tough to digest. But come on. There really isn't an upside to Trump."
Dominion's suit alleges that in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, Fox knew the claims of widespread fraud being pushed by some hosts and guests, like then-Trump legal adviser Sidney Powell, were false, but promoted the conspiracies for ratings. Fox has denied the accusation, and a spokeswoman on Tuesday said Dominion "will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Additional text messages released Tuesday reveal that on Nov. 16, 2020, Carlson shared with fellow primetime hosts Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity that he was going to mention on his show conspiracies about Dominion and voter fraud even though "the whole thing seems insane to me." Carlson added that Powell "won't release the evidence. Which I hate." He also said she was "making everyone paranoid and crazy, including me."
In the years since, various claims about election fraud have been made on Carlson's show, and on Monday, he aired footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack given to him by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The segment focused on Trump supporters walking into and around the Capitol, with Carlson describing them both as "orderly and meek" and "angry. They believed that the election they had just voted in had been unfairly conducted, and they were right."
Carlson was criticized on Tuesday by several Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), for trying to downplay the Jan. 6 riot. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger also spoke out, saying Carlson's comments were "offensive and misleading" and the footage he chose to air was "conveniently cherry-picked from the calmer moments" of the day.
-
Should Labour break manifesto pledge and raise taxes?Today's Big Question There are ‘powerful’ fiscal arguments for an income tax rise but it could mean ‘game over’ for the government
-
Nigerian Modernism: an ‘entrancing, enlightening exhibition’The Week Recommends Tate Modern’s ‘revelatory’ show includes 250 works examining Nigerian art pre- and post independence
-
To the point: the gender divide over exclamation marksTalking Point 'Men harbouring urges to be more exclamative' can finally take a breath – this is what using the punctuation really conveys
-
Larry Ellison: the billionaire’s burgeoning media empireIn the Spotlight Oracle founder’s takeover of traditional and new media companies labelled ‘dangerous for democracy’ by US press watchdog
-
What's Tucker Carlson's net worth?The Explainer The far-right media figure has made millions since his embrace of Trumpism
-
The Washington Post: kowtowing to Trump?Talking Point The newspaper's opinion editor has handed in his notice following edict from Jeff Bezos
-
Elon Musk and Wikipedia are feudingThe Explainer The online encyclopedia stands accused of being far-left propaganda
-
Rupert Murdoch's behind-closed-doors succession court battleThe Explainer Media mogul's legal dispute with three of his children over control of his influential empire begins today
-
Rupert Murdoch is in a 'Succession'-style rift with his kids over his media empireThe Explainer Murdoch and his son Lachlan are attempting to maintain his empire's conservative swing following his eventual death
-
The most memorable newspaper front pages of 2023In Depth From resignations and Covid revelations to Hamas's deadly attack
-
Laurence Fox suspended by GB News after 'unacceptable' Ava Evans commentsSpeed Read Broadcaster issues apology after actor goes on a tirade during a live interview with Dan Wootton
