Tucker Carlson revealed on a podcast that U.S. intelligence agencies were monitoring his communications ahead of an interview with Putin, and he was warned he could be arrested if he didn’t conduct a tough interview.
Carlson said his trip to interview Snowden was leaked to media by intelligence, showing the media acts as an auxiliary of the national security state.
He spoke to trusted sources who confirmed all communications are constantly monitored by state actors.
Lex Fridman said, “You say it lightly, but it’s really troublesome that, as a journalist, you would be tracked.”
Tucker Carlson said, “Well, they leaked it to Semafor and they leaked it to the New York Times.”
Carlson’s lawyer also warned him the U.S. government could arrest him depending on the questions he asked Putin, demonstrating to Carlson how the U.S. could be as controlling of the press as places like Russia.
Fridman said, “So you had no fear. You know, your lawyer said, be careful which questions you asked, you said, I don’t have–”
Carlson said, “Well, the lawyer said very specifically, depending on the questions you ask Putin, you know, you could be arrested or not.”
And I said, ‘Listen to what you’re saying. You’re saying the U.S. government has like control over my questions, and they’ll arrest me if I ask the wrong question? Like, how are we better than Putin if that’s true?'”
“Carlson added, “And by the way, that’s just what a lawyer said, but I can’t overstate — one of the biggest law firms in the United States, smart lawyers we’ve used for years. So I was really shocked by it.”
Carlson was deeply troubled by the implications that journalists in America are being tracked and that the government could exert control over interview questions, seeing it as a threat to free press and privacy as prerequisites for freedom.
