US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger has criticized Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his commentary about the January 6th insurrection, noting that it was misleading and offensive. The family of Officer Brian Sicknick, who died in the attack, also rebuked Fox News and Carlson, accusing them of cherry-picking footage to support their views. Manger concluded his memo by affirming the Capitol Police Department's commitment to protecting the Capitol and its occupants.
Posts tagged as “Fox News”
On Monday, Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired newly released footage from the January 6, 2021 US Capitol attack on his show. Carlson used the footage to falsely claim that no riot happened on Jan. 6, despite the attack leaving five people dead and resulting in more than 300 arrests. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) granted Carlson access to the footage, and Capitol Police have warned that its release could pose a security risk. It is unclear if the footage will be released to the public or remain in the hands of Carlson and McCarthy.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has expressed doubt over House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) statement that footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol riots will be screened by the Capitol Police before being released to the public, questioning whether the police have done so yet. Jeffries said that any material footage must be vetted before it is released into the public domain, and McCarthy's office has not yet responded to his comments. It is unclear when the Capitol Police will finish screening the footage or when it will be released.
Fox News is facing a $1.6 billion lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, alleging that Fox News hosts endorsed false claims that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen. Rupert Murdoch's testimony under oath has undermined Fox News' defense against the lawsuit, and the scandal has caused considerable financial and reputational damage to the network and its parent company.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has criticized the Department of Justice for not charging any protesters outside Supreme Court justices' homes in the wake of the Dobbs decision. In response, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that white supremacists are the most dangerous domestic terror group in the US, and that the DOJ is committed to protecting the rights of all Americans. The DOJ has yet to comment on Cruz's criticism.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has granted Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson exclusive access to Capitol Police security videos from the January 6th attack on the Capitol, sparking controversy. McCarthy has promised to eventually make the footage available to the public, but has stated that it must first be screened by Capitol police to ensure the security of the Capitol building. Carlson has been airing conspiracy theories about the attack, and the footage is expected to be released to the public in the coming weeks.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have written a letter to Fox Corp. and Fox News executives, urging them to stop pushing baseless claims and “grave propaganda” about the 2020 presidential election. Documents from a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems revealed that Fox News commentators endorsed false claims about the election. Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged this in the documents, and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management, warned of possible shareholder lawsuits and an SEC investigation.
The U.S. has been urged to respect science and facts in its investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested that Covid-19 may have originated from a potential lab incident in Wuhan, China, and the Chinese government has interfered with the FBI's ongoing probe. The World Health Organization has called for more international cooperation and collaboration to help uncover the source of the virus.