Boris Johnson, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, called out conservative commentator Tucker Carlson for interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Around the world, people are watching that ludicrous interview with Vladimir Putin conducted by Tucker Carlson and we must not fall for this tissue of lies above all for the notion that Putin is somehow fated to succeed in Ukraine, on the contrary, he is doomed to failure,” Johnson said in a video posted by the Daily Mail.
Carlson, a former pundit at Fox News, was pulled off their air by the network last year and has since launched his own media company and program on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He announced Tuesday that he would be interviewing Putin, the first time a member of the Western media had interviewed the Russian leader since he invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Johnson, in a Daily Mail op-ed Friday, criticized Carlson’s interviewing, saying he was “fawning, guffawing” and had “slack-jawed happiness at having a ‘scoop.’” The former prime minister said he “betrayed” viewers around the world.
“He didn’t ask tough questions. He didn’t ask Putin why even now he is using the most brutal means of modern warfare to maim and murder innocent Ukrainian civilians,” Johnson wrote.
Instead, Carlson acted like a fan of Putin and “boneheadedly” accepted Putin’s “mixture of semi-masticated Wikipedia and outright falsehood,” Johnson argued.
During the two-hour interview, Putin said he was open to negotiating with the U.S. over the war in Ukraine, but he spent much of his airtime talking about history and repeating talking points to justify his decisions.
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“Not since George Galloway went to Baghdad and hailed the indefatigability of Saddam Hussein have we seen such a display of bum-sucking servility to a tyrant,” Johnston argued, adding that Carlson was “just the medium, the sewer, the hose” for Putin to spread his message to America.
The former U.K. leader said he prays “that the people of the U.S. are able to see through last night’s unholy charade of an interview.” He also addressed the members of Congress who are blocking aid from being sent to Ukraine and said “for God’s sake remember who you are.”
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Boris Johnson calls Tucker Carlson a traitor for Vladimir Putin interview https://t.co/9g5Z1doN56
— The Hill (@thehill) February 9, 2024
Putin's smirk. He's just slapping Carlson around for the hell of it.
I know why Carlson wanted this interview: Because he desperately wants to be in the public eye. I'm not sure why Putin agreed to it, other than as a lark so he could lecture an American for two hours. https://t.co/Mz8gKmCOtS— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 9, 2024
I at first thought this must be a mistranslation. But after watching video, I can confirm Putin really said it (I am native speaker of Russian): “the Poles overplayed their hand and forced Hitler to start World War II with them.” https://t.co/K0XSWPMwA8
— Ilya Somin (@IlyaSomin) February 9, 2024
Tucker Carlson has rendered a valuable public service by drawing attention to something that everybody should have realised already a long time ago: Putin and his regime have embraced an insanely fascist world view that's completely detached from reality.
— Mart Kuldkepp @martkuldkepp.bsky.social (@KuldkeppMart) February 9, 2024
Wow! The dictator, murderer, criminal, and avowed enemy of the USA is open to keeping his stolen gains.
This changes everything.
Republicans pretending to be tough guys in all things save where tough guys are needed are sickening. https://t.co/loC5wi3Nlo
— Clifford Asness (@CliffordAsness) February 10, 2024
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