Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) lauded the late Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson on Monday for wielding excessive influence over former President Donald Trump. (See the video below.)
“I cannot overstate Tucker Carlson’s impact on public policy and the decisions we made in government,” Gaetz told Newsmax’s Greg Kelly. “Tucker Carlson and I were directly involved in persuading President Trump to ignore some of the bad advice he was getting” from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and Vice President Mike Pence, “because we had a realistic view of foreign policy.”
The Trump administration’s cozy relationship with Fox News was exposed in text messages showing other network hosts privately begged Trump to call off the violence as his followers stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. On the air, they played down the insurrection.
But Gaetz’s claim about Carlson’s sway over the then-president is next-level.
Carlson and Fox News parted ways on Monday. Carlson reportedly discovered he was being let go just 10 minutes before the network’s announcement. He has retained an attorney known for navigating breakups involving media stars.
