Tucker Carlson ‘told colleague he “hated Trump passionately”‘, court filings claim 

Tucker Carlson confessed to his producer that he “passionately hated Trump,” according to files unsealed by a judge Tuesday as part of the Dominion Voting Systems defamation case.

Dominion is suing Carlson’s network, Fox News, in a $1.6 billion case alleging that the media company defamed the voting company by questioning their technology and methods. Fox vehemently disputes the allegations.

On Tuesday, Carlson’s private messages were among a trove of emails and other messages that were unsealed by the judge.

Carlson, one of the conservative channel’s biggest stars, texted Alex Pfeiffer on Jan. 4, 2021, the lawsuit alleges, to say he was looking forward to a post-Trump era.

“We are very, very close to ignoring Trump most nights. I really can’t wait,” he said.

“I hate him passionately. I exploded with frustration at Peter Navarro today,” he allegedly wrote, referring to the former Trump administration official.

‘I actually like Peter. But I can’t take much more of this.’ Fox has denied Dominion’s claims, insisting that many of the posts shared in the lawsuit have been taken out of context.

He allegedly wrote in another text message, “That’s the past four years. We all pretend to give a lot because admitting what a disaster it has been is too hard to digest. But come on. There isn’t really an advantage to Trump.”

Carlson himself has complained on air about how news reporters “seem to hate Trump with an all-consuming mania.”

The former president is said to have been a big fan of Carlson’s show, which featured topics covered by the Fox News host that helped guide White House policy.

The text messages also showed a lot of dissatisfaction within Fox about the decision to rightfully call Arizona for Joe Biden.

Carlson, according to the lawsuit, complained that this hurt Fox’s stock price.

Pfeiffer reportedly wrote in a November 20, 2020, email to an unidentified person that there was “a funny thing” about the election fraud claims.

“Dominion was used in Ohio and Florida,” he wrote.

Trump won them. Did they forget to manipulate it or was it all part of the plan?’

The exchanges reportedly show host Laura Ingraham lamenting Fox calling states for Biden, saying, “My anger at the news channel has been expressed.”

Carlson agreed, reportedly replying, “It should be.”

He said he was equally angry with the network’s reporting of the results, as well as with the announcers and hosts confirming Biden’s win.

“We devote our lives to building an audience and they left Chris Wallace and Leland [expletive] Vitter ruins it. Too much,” Carlson said, according to the suit.

On November 16, 2020, Ingraham texted Carlson and Sean Hannity again to complain about their employer.

“We all officially work for an organization that hates us,” she wrote.

The exchange is part of a lengthy conversation between the three about how their news colleagues hurt ratings.

Another news anchor, Maria Bartiromo, reportedly texted Trump former adviser Steve Bannon on November 10, 2020 to say she was devastated by the results.

Omg I’m so depressed. I can’t handle this,” she reportedly told Bannon, noting how unsettling it was to watch the “world move forward.”

“I want to see massive fraud exposed. Will he be able to turn this around,” she added, referring to Trump.

“I told my team not to say president at all. Not in scripts or banners in the sky. Until this gets through to the courts.’

Bannon replied, “You are our fighter. Enough with the sad! We need you.’

Rupert Murdoch, owner of the network, privately worried that his stars had gone too far in their claim that the pageant had been stolen.

In his email to CEO Suzanne Scott on Jan. 21, 2021 — the day after Biden’s inauguration — Murdoch said he was criticized for the network’s insistence that the election was stolen, the lawsuit alleges.

“We’re still getting mud thrown at us!” Murdoch wrote. “Maybe Sean and Laura went too far.”

He also asked Scott if it was “irrefutable that high-profile Fox votes fueled the narrative that the election was stolen and that January 6 was an important opportunity to overturn the result.”

Murdoch had predicted shortly after the election that Trump would fade away and become irrelevant.

‘And losing tons of viewers – but no leadership yet!’ Murdoch wrote.

‘We just have to keep our spirits up and improve our game! In a month, Trump will become irrelevant and we will have a lot to say about Biden, Dems, and appointments — pretty boring so far.”

After the Jan. 6 riot, Murdoch said, according to the indictment, that he felt Trump’s brand had been significantly damaged.

“His businesses are now ruined!” he said in an email to his son Lachlan — who runs the network — and former House Speaker Paul Ryan.

“Who’s going to throw a party at one of their golf clubs or hotels? Let alone a tournament.

“So he has more than just legal problems, however bad they are.

“The brand is poison now! Who wants Ivanka’s fashion lines, jewelry, etc?!’

Fox News has said it is “proud of our coverage of the 2020 election, which is in the highest tradition of American journalism.”

They dispute Dominion’s lawsuit, saying it is only to create publicity for their voting machines.

Dominion argues that the First Amendment does not allow media outlets to broadcast conspiracy theories they know to be false.

“As the dominant media outlet among viewers dissatisfied with the election results, Fox gave these fictions a notoriety they otherwise would never have achieved,” Dominion states in their 441-page lawsuit.

“With Fox’s global platform, an audience of hundreds of millions, and the inevitable and extensive republication and dissemination of the falsehoods through social media, these lies have seriously damaged Dominion’s once thriving business.

“Fox took a little flame and turned it into a wildfire.”

Carlson and the other hosts have not responded to the publication of their posts.

Superior Court Judge Eric Davis is expected to preside over a trial in mid-April.

The process can stretch over five weeks.