Tucker Carlson on Tuesday gave viewers an economical snapshot of two of his biggest lies. (Watch the videos below.)
“Jan. 6, I think, is probably second only to the 2020 election as the biggest scam in my lifetime,” the Fox News host said.
Carlson was interviewing Proud Boy member Daniel Goodwyn, who accused the Department of Justice of harsh treatment in the wake of his participation in the Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021.
Goodwyn pleaded guilty in January to entering a restricted building in exchange for prosecutors dropping a more serious obstruction of proceedings charge. He reportedly faces zero to six months in prison at his sentencing in May.
Goodwyn called himself a “political hostage” and claimed police officers should be investigated for violence during the riot. That’s when Carlson uttered his stupefying “scam” declaration, appearing to blame the Biden administration and other supporters.
“And you know” it’s a scam, he added, “because they become completely hysterical when confronted with any facts that deviate from their lies.”
Carlson has repeatedly promoted conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and has dismissed the insurrection as a walk-through by tourists. He recently cherry-picked mundane footage provided by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in an attempt to make his point.
Behind the scenes, however, court filings in Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuit against Fox News reveal that Carlson privately doubted Trump’s claims and actually despised him.
Rioters injured about 140 officers on that day and nearly 1,000 have been charged in the siege, including 300 for assaulting or interfering with police. More than 500 have pleaded guilty.
Here’s a longer look at Carlson’s interview: