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.
1/23
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.
2/23
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.
3/23
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...
4/23
...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".
5/23
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."
6/23
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.
7/23
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...
8/23
...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".
9/23
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".
10/23
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".
11/23
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.
12/23
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.
13/23
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
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".
15/23
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".
16/23
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.
17/23
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.
18/23
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...
19/23
...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...
20/23
...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.
21/23
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".
22/23
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.
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".
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an American politician and disbarred lawyer, Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani). He’s best-known for meddling with the pro-Kremlin forces in Ukraine, and for organizing the infamous Four Seasons Landscaping press conference.
1/22
Giuliani rose to fame as the mayor of NYC between 1994 and 2001. He adopted an aggressive enforcement strategy and organized crackdowns on relatively minor offenses like graffiti and cannabis possession. His role in the 9/11 aftermath made him a global superstar.
2/22
This fame gave Rudy new opportunities, and in 2006 he was invited to the bi-partisan Iraq Study Group (ISG), a group that assessed the situation in Iraq. He was soon kicked out of the group due to being more interested in making money by public speaking gigs.
In today’s 300th #vatniksoup, I’ll go through some of the most heroic feats that Ukrainians have achieved since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
In the last 900 days, under-equipped underdog Ukraine has fared well against the imperialist and genocidal Russia.
1/23
As in most conflicts, Ukraine relies heavily on leadership. For this reason, the Kremlin first focused their main propaganda efforts on Zelenskyy, even claiming that he had already fled from Ukraine to Poland. Soon after these allegations, Zelenskyy and his cabinet…
2/23
… published a video from the streets of Kyiv to fight this propaganda campaign. This video quickly became one of the biggest morale boosters for Ukraine, and it has become one of the most legendary and symbolic videos of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce a British far-right activist, Tommy Robinson (@TRobinsonNewEra). He’s best-known for his role in the far-right, Islamophobic organizations like the English Defence League (EDL) and his close connections to the Kremlin.
1/23
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was born in Luton and during his youth delved into a life of crime, serving four prison terms between 2005 and 2019. He used several pseudonyms to hide his criminal past, finally sticking to Tommy Robinson.
2/23
Tommy joined the fascist and far-right British National Party (BNP) in 2004 but left a year later. The party didn’t allow non-whites to join and was then led by Nick Griffin, who today is better known for sharing video game footage while claiming it’s real.
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an American politician and author, JD Vance (@JDVance). He’s best-known for his strong stance against US aid to Ukraine, and for being the Republican party’s nominee for vice president in the 2024 election.
1/20
Vance hails from the small town of Middletown, Ohio. His parents divorced when he was a toddler, JD’s mother struggled with drug addiction, and he was raised primarily by his grandparents. Later he enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and spent 6 months as a PR guy in Iraq.
2/20
In 2016, Harper published JD’s book, Hillbilly Elegy, in which he described his life and hardships, and the socioeconomic problems of his hometown. The book was very successful, and it was even adapted into a shitty Netflix movie. It also made JD famous.
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll discuss the Wagner Group, its founders Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, and the mutiny they started on 23 Jun 2023. The event marked the climax of the Wagner Group–Russian MoD conflict, and finally led to the deaths of Prigozhin and Utkin.
1/22
Wagner has been used in many conflicts around the world, but they came to global prominence during the war in Donbas in 2014-2015. Wagnerites helped the Donbas separatists fight against the Ukrainians during the conflict, which helped Putin to “outsource” the insurrection.
2/22
The group doesn’t have any central ideology, but many of its members and leaders have ties to various neo—Nazi movements in Russia. For example, Wagner leader Dmitry Utkin had several Nazi symbols tattooed on his body. Neo—nazi group Rusich has also fights as part of Wagner.
3/22
In today’s #vatniksoup, I’ll introduce an Amsterdam-based propaganda channel, Bonanza Media (@bonanzamedia2). It’s best-known for producing & spreading online pro-Kremlin propaganda videos while closely coordinating & collaborating with the Russian intelligence agency GRU.
1/19
Russian intelligence has been extremely active in the Netherlands for a long time. For example in 2018, four GRU agents were caught while trying to hack into OPCW,an organization that monitors the use of chemical weapons. In addition, the International Criminal Court (ICC)…
2/19
…and the MH17 investigation have become targets for the Russian intelligence and propaganda operations. These operations are often complemented with “investigative journalism” media outlets, that often echo the Kremlin’s propaganda and disinformation.