Frank Figliuzzi: ‘Tucker Carlson Is Neither a Journalist nor a Reporter, but He Has Played One on TV’

MENENDEZ: “Frank, your reaction when you learned that Tucker Carlson is going to sit down with Vladimir Putin?”

FIGLIUZZI: “I think we need to put this interview in proper context, Alicia, even before we get to see it. We know some things. We know that Vladimir Putin has not had an interview, granted an interview with legitimate Western journalists for almost four years now. Tucker Carlson is neither a journalist nor a Reporter, but he has played one on TV. And now Putin has chosen him. So, we know that Putin was a former KGB officer. He — that means he does things when he knows the outcome. He does things with a purpose and a strategy. Therefore, we can conclude that he knows what the outcome will be here. He knows that he can play Tucker Carlson, who has already praised him effusively, both when he was on Fox and now on his X channel and videos. And it will be edited by both Carlson and by Putin. The Russian media is already fawning all over Carlson, following him around to restaurants and the ballet in Moscow during this visit. And they will use this interview on their own networks in Russia, showing clips of how lovely his visit was with Mr. Putin. Let’s see if he’s really a journalist. Let’s see if he asks the hard questions. Let’s see if he asks Mr. Putin about the innocent men, women and children killed in Ukraine for simply wanting to exercise their freedom to exist. Let’s see if he asks him about the over 20 journalists in prison right now in Russia for simply doing their job. Let’s see if he wants to know the whereabouts of the two dozen people indicted by special counsel Robert Mueller for messing with our elections, hacking, and social media propaganda. Let’s see if those questions are asked. How about how many times Mr. Putin has decided to throw somebody out a window because they opposed him? Or he’s decided to poison one of his opponents? That’s who we’re dealing with here. And if it’s going to be a serious interview, then those are the questions that will need to be asked. Don’t hold your breath, though, on whether those are asked.”