- Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticized Tucker Carlson in a two-hour interview with President Vladimir Putin.
- Johnson said Carlson failed to challenge President Putin and question him about the killing of civilians in Ukraine.
- Using British slang for an ass, he called the interview “an ass-sucking sleaze against a tyrant.”
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson summoned Tucker Carlson after visiting Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“When Tucker Carlson went to the Kremlin, he fulfilled a mission well known to history. He was to become an agent of a tyrant, a dictator to a dictator, and a traitor to journalism.” Mr. Johnson wrote. Daily Mail editorial on friday.
“He betrayed viewers and listeners around the world by flattering, cackling, and slack-jawed in delight when he got the ‘scoop,'” Johnson wrote.
During the controversial two-hour interview, Putin dominated the conversation, barely allowing Karlsson to speak, and pushing him away with dubious historical claims justifying the war in Ukraine.
In his op-ed, Mr. Johnson noted that Mr. Carlson did not challenge Mr. Putin on the invasion of Ukraine, nor did he raise questions about the war crimes accusations or the targeting of civilians.
of United Nations Human Rights Council He said Russia committed mass murder, rape and torture to conquer Ukraine.
Mr Johnson called the interview “an ass-sucking sleaze against a tyrant”, using British slang for an ass.
At one point in the interview, Putin accused then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson of derailing 2022 peace talks with Ukraine, claiming Johnson had persuaded Ukraine that it was “better to fight Russia.”
He described Johnson as having a “pure heart” but “not a great mind.”
Mr. Johnson wrote in an op-ed that Mr. Putin’s interview with Mr. Karlsson was a product of “Hitler’s playbook.”
He drew a comparison to an interview Adolf Hitler gave to a sympathetic German-American journalist shortly after he invaded France in 1940.
Johnson added that Putin’s way of talking about history and perceived injustices towards Russian-speaking people is similar to how Hitler talked about German-speaking people.
The interview with Karlsson was President Putin’s first with a Western journalist since he invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.
While promoting the interview, Carlson falsely claimed that other Western journalists did not “bother” to interview the Russian president. Although denied by the Kremlin, The newspaper said several other Western journalists declined interviews due to their “one-sided positions.”
The interview was important as Putin seeks to erode support for Ukraine among Republican voters. Carlson’s core audienceas Congressional Republicans continue to block a $60 billion aid bill that Ukraine needs to protect itself.
It also increased Carlson’s profile after he leaves Fox News in 2023.
Carlson has previously said he is not concerned about accusations that he is a criminal. “Putin’s henchmen” After being accused of repeating Kremlin propaganda claims on his own Fox News show.