Tucker Carlson sent an inflammatory text message the day after the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 — about which the Fox News board learned on the eve of their defamation trial — which, according to one report, led in part to his firing last week.
The central role played by the text message of January 7, 2021 was reported on Tuesday by The New York Times.
In text to one of his producers, Carlson recalls seeing a mob of three white men attack an “Antifa kid” several weeks ago and wanted the victim killed. But, Carlson wrote, he realized it was wrong to want the “Antifa boy” to die.
Carlson, whose critics call him a white supremacist, also argued that white people in general don’t act so dishonorably as to launch a three-on-one attack. He did not specify the race of the “Antifa boy.”
“At least it was three to one,” Carlson wrote. ‘Puncing on someone like that is, of course, dishonorable. White men don’t fight like that.’
Tucker Carlson can be seen in a video posted to Twitter on April 26 — two days after his firing. In the video, Carlson claimed he had been silenced by those in power
Carlson wrote in his text message made public on Tuesday, January 7, 2021, about seeing “a few weeks ago” “video of people fighting on the streets in Washington.” Pictured: Fighting breaks out between Proud Boys and counter-demonstrators in DC on December 11, 2020
Antifa protesters are photographed in Washington DC on December 12, 2020
The text message was unearthed as part of a defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion voting systems against Fox News — which, following the 2020 election, allowed the idea that Dominion had rigged the election in favor of Joe Biden.
Dominion got private messages between Fox News hosts and executives, which revealed that many of them privately admitted that the idea of a stolen election was bullshit.
The judge overseeing the Dominion case is being asked by multiple news organizations to remove the redaction of many of the posts that were part of the case. No ruling has been made yet.
Carlson’s texts also showed him making fun of Fox bosses and attacking his colleagues.
The lyrics became known to the Fox News board on the eve of the trial — which began April 18 and was settled before the jury could begin hearing evidence.
The content of the messages so alarmed the board that the wheels were set in motion for Carlson’s resignation, The New York Times reported.
“A few weeks ago I watched a video of people fighting in the streets in Washington,” Carlson wrote in the text, which was sent Jan. 7, 2021 at 4:18 p.m.
A member of the Proud Boys is stabbed during street fighting in Washington DC on December 12, 2020
Proud Boys and Antifa fight after the ‘Million MAGA March’ from Freedom Plaza to the US Capitol on December 12, 2020
Members of the Proud Boys pictured in Washington DC on December 12, 2020
“A group of Trump boys surrounded an Antifa kid and started reviving him. Anyway, it was three against one. Jumping on someone like that is, of course, dishonorable. White men don’t fight like that.
“But suddenly I found myself supporting the mob against the man, hoping they would hit him harder, kill him. I really wanted them to hurt the child. I could taste it.
“Then somewhere deep in my head an alarm went off: this is not good for me. I become something I don’t want to be. The Antifa ghoul is human.
“As much as I despise what he says and does, as much as I’m sure I personally would hate him if I knew him, I shouldn’t gloat over his suffering. I should suffer. I have to remember that someone somewhere probably loves this kid and would be crushed if he were killed.
“If I don’t care about those things, if I reduce people to their politics, how am I better than him?”
The Fox board was deeply concerned that the message could be made public during the trial — a fear that prompted them to agree to the $787.5 million settlement.
On the day the trial began, the board told Fox executives it would bring in an outside law firm to investigate Carlson’s conduct.
Carlson is pictured speaking at the Heritage Foundation shortly before his April 24 resignation
The board hired the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz to investigate Fox’s biggest star.
It’s the same company that helped Twitter force Elon Musk to buy Twitter after he tried to back out of the $44 billion takeover.
The Fox board’s actions are said to have contributed to the decision of Lachlan Murdoch, CEO of Fox Corporation, and Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News, to fire him.
In addition, there was internal concern about other posts from Carlson and concerns about a lawsuit accusing him of running a toxic work environment.
Carlson’s contempt for Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump — whom he says he “passionately hates” — was also problematic for the conservative network, and Rupert Murdoch himself would have had enough of Carlson’s provocations, such as saying the January 6 rioters were “tourists.” goods. and downplaying Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Neither Carlson nor Fox have responded to the text message.