Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson criticized comedian Jon Stewart for sharply criticizing Carlson’s recent interview with Vladimir Putin, calling Stewart “a tool of the regime in the most sinister way.”
Carlson had praised aspects of the Russian economy and infrastructure during the interview, days before opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in prison.
“That’s kind of what I was saying: Even the Russians under Vladimir freaking Putin can live like this. And no, it’s not a feature of dictatorship,” Carlson said.
“That’s the most, I think, discouraging and most dishonest line by people like Jon Stewart who really are trying to prepare the population for accepting a lot less. He is really a tool of the regime in a sinister way, always has been.”
Jon Stewart had blasted Carlson for this, saying he wasn’t as dumb as he looks and failing to acknowledge issues beneath the surface.
“You aren’t as dumb as your face would have us believe,” Stewart said of Carlson. “Perhaps, if your handlers had allowed, you would have seen there is a hidden fee to all your cheap groceries and orderly streets.”
Carlson argued he isn’t pro-Putin but admonishes mainstream media’s coverage of the Ukraine war.
He laughed off criticism from Stewart and others over his Russia comments, saying he just wants basic safety and that it’s “dark” if you don’t expect that.
“Like, ‘How dare you expect that? What are you, a Stalinist?’ It’s like, no, I’m an American. I’m like a decent person,” Carlson said. “I just want to be able to walk to the grocery store without being murdered. … It’s really dark if you think about it, you know?”
Carlson was previously ousted from Fox News but has since launched his own media company.
