Pekka Kallioniemi Profile picture
May 2, 2023 25 tweets 13 min read Read on X
In today's #vatniksoup, I'll introduce an American political commentator and pro-Kremlin propagandist, Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson). He's best-known for his outrageous lies and for his pro-Putin, anti-Ukrainian views while working for Fox News.

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Ironically, Carlson started his career as a fact-checker for the conservative journal, Policy Review. He also applied to work for the CIA, but was denied, after which he started pursuing career in journalism. Tucker has worked for pretty much every big network in the US.

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He worked for the CNN between 2000 and 2005, for PBS between 2004 and 2005, for MSNBC between 2005-2008, finally moving to Fox News in 2009. n 2016, Carlson started hosting Tucker Carlson tonight, which soon became the network's most watched TV show in its time slot.

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In 2021, Time magazine declared that he might be "the most powerful conservative in America". He's also been described as a "leading voice of white grievance politics". There are no big surprises in Carlson's political views: he opposes abortion, supports right to keep...

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...and bear arms, and doesn't consider climate change a threat. He's described Roe v. Wade as "the most embarrassing court decision handed down in the last century".

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Carlson has been caught lying on many, many occasions. In one of his speeches, he ironically said that "The truth is contagious...the more you tell the truth, the stronger you become...the more you lie, the weaker and more terrified you become."

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In 2017, Carlson claimed that he doesn't consider Russia a serious threat against the US, and called the US to cooperate with Russia against ISIS. He's said that Putin doesn't hate America as much as the liberals do. He's suggested that there is no reason to hate Putin.

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He's condemned Putin for the invasion, but initially called it a "border dispute". After the fervent conspiracy theorist Jacob Creech speculated that Russia is targeting "biolabs in Ukraine", Carlson soon started supporting the theory, platforming people like...

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...Glenn Greenwald who of course had no clue about any of that, but was always ready for some US bashing. In 2019, he said that "We should probably take the side of Russia if we have to choose between Russia and Ukraine".

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Russian TV propagandists often use Carlson's segments to support their messaging. Russian leadership allegedly sent a memo to Kremlin-friendly media outlets that it's "essential" to use Tucker's video clips "as much as possible".

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After Donald Trump Jr. met with Russian officials, asking for dirt on Hillary Clinton, Tucker came to his defense, saying that he'd only been "gossiping with foreigners".

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He's supported the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, claiming that the Democrats are planning "demographic replacement" to increase their voter base. He's also said that white supremacy is not a problem in the US.

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One of the craziest Carlson segments was the "Eat the Bugs" video, where he depicted WEF founder Klaus Schwab as the man forcing people to eat insects. Schwab was acted by one of the worst comedians the world has known, Jay Dyer.

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When Joe Biden visited Kyiv in Feb 2023, he suggested that the air raid sirens "were for show". He also called Zelenskyy "an instrument of total destruction", and said that he "has no interest in freedom or democracy". Incidentally,he's never said the same thing about Putin.14/23 Image
In the midst of the war in Ukraine, he said about Zelensky that "He is a dictator. He is a dangerous authoritarian who has used a hundred billion in U.S. tax dollars to erect a one-party police state in Ukraine".

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In Mar 2023, Carlson invited conspiracy theorist, Russell Brand, as a guest on his show "Tucker Carlson Today". Funnily, Brand later claimed that "he [Carlson] comes from a place of authenticity, and isn't entirely beholden to commercial interests".

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Other notable vatnik guests on Carlson's show include Douglas Macgregor and Jimmy Dore. He described Macgregor as "one of the people we trust to give us real information".

I haven't found any incidents where Macgregor has been RIGHT in regard to the Russo-Ukrainian War.

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Dore did his classic preaching against the "deep state" and the "military industrial complex". Apparently it's that "US war machine" that's now bombing cities and killing and raping civilians in Ukraine, and did so previously in Syria, Georgia, Chechnya, Moldova,etc.

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He was sacked by the Fox News on 24 Apr 2023, pretty soon after Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit against Fox News was settled for 787,5 million USD. Dominion's legal team released some damning text messages, in which Tucker privately doubted the false claims about the...

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...stolen election of 2020. He also mocked Trump's advisors and texted Sean Hannity that the White House Correspondent for Fox News, Jacqui Heinrich should be fired for fact-checking Carlson's claims about Dominion. The text messages also revealed, that Tucker...

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...hates Trump "passionately", further stating that "there really isn't an upside to Trump". NYT reporter Ben Smith has said that Carlson was a media source for various journalists who often wrote critically of Trump.

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Dominion's CEO, John Poulos, is looking into publishing Tucker's redacted messages in the court filings, saying that "we’re seeking accountability and we’re not going to stop until we get it".

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After his departure from Fox News, the Russian propagandists have been talking about Tucker non-stop, many of the Kremlin-sponsored networks going as far as offering him a job.

I'm pretty sure Carlson will continue his lying on some other media platform or in politics.

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APPENDIX:
Tucker also shared the doctored, fake Pentagon leaks from "Donbass Devushka" TG channel, saying that "despite direct U.S. involvement, Ukraine is in fact losing the war," and that "seven Ukrainians are being killed for every Russian".

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More from @P_Kallioniemi

Jul 28
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce a Russian politician and First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Kiriyenko. He’s best known for running both domestic and foreign disinformation and propaganda operations for the Kremlin.

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On paper, and in photos, Kiriyenko is just as boring as most of the Kremlin’s “political technologists”: between 2005-2016 he headed the Rosatom nuclear energy company, but later played a leading role in the governance of Russia-occupied territories in Ukraine.

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What is a political technologist? In Russia, they’re spin doctors & propaganda architects who shape opinion, control narratives, and manage elections — often by faking opposition, staging events, and spreading disinfo to maintain Putin’s power and the illusion of democracy.

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Read 21 tweets
Jul 27
Let me show you how a Pakistani (or Indian, they're usually the same) AI slop farm/scam operates. The account @designbonsay is a prime example: a relatively attractive, AI-generated profile picture and a ChatGPT-style profile description are the first red flags.

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The profile's posts are just generic engagement farming, usually using AI-generated photos of celebrities or relatively attractive women.

These posts are often emotionally loaded and ask the user to interact with them ("like and share if you agree!").

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Then there's the monetization part. This particular account sells "pencil art", which again are just AI-generated slop.

Country code for the phone number is in Pakistan.

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Read 5 tweets
Jul 15
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American lawyer and politician, Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee). He’s best-known for opposing the aid to Ukraine, undermining NATO by calling the US to withdraw from the alliance, and for fighting with a bunch of braindead dogs online.

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Like many of the most vile vatniks out there, “Based Mike” is a lawyer by profession. He hails from the holy land of Mormons, Utah, where he faces little political competition, allowing him to make the most outrageous claims online without risking his Senate seat.

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Before becoming a senator, Mike fought to let a nuclear waste company dump Italian radioactive waste in Utah, arguing it was fine if they just diluted it. The state said no, the public revolted, and the courts told poor Mikey to sit down.

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Read 23 tweets
Jul 14
While Ukrainians are terror bombed on a daily basis, rich Russians live in Europe like kings and queens.

This young lady lives in Portugal, and travels freely to Ibiza...
...the Alps...
... and of course Paris.
Read 5 tweets
Jul 7
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll introduce an American national security policy professional and the current under secretary of defense for policy, Elbridge Colby (@ElbridgeColby). He’s best-known for fighting with cartoon dogs online and for halting military aid to Ukraine.

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Elbridge "Cheese" Colby earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Before entering government, he worked at top think tanks and in the intelligence community, focusing on nuclear policy and strategic planning.

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Cheese quickly became a key voice for a “China First” strategy, arguing the US must prioritize military buildup in Asia over commitments in Europe or the Middle East. He sees (or saw, rather) Taiwan as the core test of US credibility.

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Read 23 tweets
Jul 6
In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’m going to talk about… Vatnik Soup! As some of you know, we also have a website where you can find every soup ever published. The site also has other useful resources, making it the most comprehensive resource on Russian disinformation & vatniks.

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Unfortunately, Elon has flagged the website as malware, as he might not be very happy about the soups I wrote about him - so far, they have garnered over 60 million views on X/Twitter.

The “freedom of speech” spokesperson doesn’t seem too keen on free speech, after all.

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The heart & soul of the website is of course the soups page. There you can find all 360+ soups, which can be sorted chronologically, by popularity, etc. You can also search for soups by title or even in the soup text:

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vatniksoup.com/en/soups/
Read 15 tweets

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