Hillary Clinton reacted to conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s recent announcement that he had secured an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling the former Fox News pundit a “useful idiot”
In an interview with MSNBC’s Alex Wagner, the former first lady appeared unsurprised by the news and highlighted comments made previously by Carlson about the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“He says things that are not true. He parrots Vladimir Putin’s pack of lies about Ukraine, so I don’t see why Putin wouldn’t give him an interview,” she said.
Carlson has publicly voiced his opposition to U.S. support for Ukraine, arguing that American cities have suffered as a result of Congress and the White House providing billions of dollars in aid to the country.
During a video announcement posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Carlson accused Western media of not “bothering” to try and interview Putin and urged people to watch the interview, saying that while they may not agree with what the Russian president says, as “free citizens,” it is important to “know as much as they can” and draw their own conclusions.
Clinton, meanwhile, suggested that Carlson is a figure of ridicule within Russian media, going so far as to say that a position at a Russian outlet may be on the table for him.
“If you actually read translations of what is being said on Russian media, they make fun of him …he’s like a puppy dog”, Clinton said.
“I would not be surprised if he emerges with a contract with a Russian outlet, because he is a useful idiot.”
While Carlson has yet to confirm the details of when the interview will be published, this will be the first time a member of the Western media has been granted an interview by the Russian president since his invasion of Ukraine in 2022.