Fox News host Tucker Carlson is facing backlash over a not quite two-minute trailer for “Patriot Purge,” a limited series slated to premiere next week on the Fox Nation streaming service.
The brief promo touts the series as offering viewers “The True Story Behind 1/6,” and features soundbites of an unnamed interviewee claiming that “false flags have happened in this country, one of which may have been Jan. 6.”
“The domestic war on terror is here, it’s coming after half of the country,” claims another interviewee featured in the piece.
Mr. Carlson, who hosts the series, debuted a brief promo for the project on his nightly show “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” on Wednesday.
By Thursday, the clip had drawn immense condemnation from those in media circles and quickly spilled over into the discourse on Capitol Hill.
“It appears that @FoxNews is giving @TuckerCarlson a platform to spread the same type of lies that provoked violence on January 6,” Rep. Liz Cheney, Wyoming Republican and vice chair of the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, tweeted Thursday.
“As @FoxNews knows, the election wasn’t stolen and January 6 was not a “false flag” operation,” she posted.
A fellow Republican on the Jan. 6 committee, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, also weighed in on Twitter Thursday, calling the clip “Propaganda inciting violence on @FoxNews.”
“Anyone working for @FoxNews must speak out,” Mr. Kinzinger commented. “This is disgusting. It appears @foxnews isn’t even pretending anymore.”
Mr. Kinzinger announced Friday he won’t seek reelection next year.
CNN’s primetime lineup Thursday was abuzz with commentary surrounding the Fox News clip.
Anderson Cooper’s segment “Keeping Them Honest” expanded the scope of inquiry into the upcoming Fox Nation series, taking aim at media mogul Rupert Murdoch, whom Mr. Cooper said uses his “marquee properties” to peddle lies for former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Cooper also featured as part of the segment a former Fox News chief political correspondent who said the trailer was meant to “incite” and “make people angry.”
The one-word chyron on screen for Mr. Cooper’s segment said: “Poison”
On his show Thursday evening, Mr. Carlson said the backlash was meant to “de-platform” the series before it aired because “some screechy politician doesn’t like what we say.”
He also defended the forthcoming series. He said the team behind the series spoke with “dozens” of people “directly involved In the events of Jan. 6” and reviewed “hundreds of hours of relevant videotape.”
“What we found, in the end, bore no resemblance whatsoever to the story you have heard repeatedly from Liz Cheney and from [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi as well as from their many obedient mouthpieces in the media,” Mr. Carlson said. “They were lying. We will have all the details for you next week.”
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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