The co-hosts of ABC’s “The View” on Monday slammed Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson for a number of comments he has made in recent weeks about Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested the host be investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) over them.
“I think DOJ, in the same way that is setting up a task force to investigate [Russian] oligarchs, should look into people who are Russian propagandists and shilling for Putin,” host Ana Navarro said. “If you are a foreign asset to a dictator it should be investigated.”
Several of the show’s co-hosts expressed agreement as Navarro spoke.
Navarro’s assertion came amid a discussion about an article in Mother Jones this week outlining a reportedly leaked memo from the Kremlin that suggested it is “essential to use as much as possible fragments of broadcasts of the popular Fox News host Tucker Carlson,” as part of its propaganda efforts during the invasion of Ukraine.
Carlson, Fox’s top-rated host, has drawn widespread criticism in the United States for his comments about Putin and the war in Ukraine, in which he has questioned why Americans should care about the conflict and described it as a “border dispute.”
The bombastic host has suggested to his viewers that Democrats and media figures are telling the American people they should hate Putin and support war with Russia.
“Has Putin ever called me a racist? Has he threatened to get me fired for disagreeing with him? Has he shipped every middle-class job in my town to Russia? Did he manufacture a worldwide pandemic that wrecked my business and kept me indoors for two years?” Carlson asked during a recent episode of his popular prime-time show.
Other controversial figures like former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who has made several appearances on Carlson’s show to speak on various topics, have falsely suggested Ukraine is making chemical and biological weapons. U.S. officials say Russian propagandists have used the theory as a pretext for a potential attack.
The panelists on “The View” likened Gabbard’s recent comments to Carlson’s rhetoric on Putin and admonished them for helping the Kremlin’s efforts.
“I even hate that we’re discussing it. I think to myself, who is this woman? She’s no longer in Congress … the fact that we’re giving her oxygen is what makes her relevant,” Navarro said of Gabbard. “On the other hand, how do you not call out something that is repeating false Russian propaganda and has been brought down?”
Whoopi Goldberg, another host, chimed in, saying, “they used to arrest people for doing stuff like this.”
“If they thought that you were colluding with a Russian agent, if they thought you were putting out information … they used to actually investigate stuff like this,” Goldberg said. “I guess now there seems to be no bars and people are not being told to hate Putin, Putin doesn’t need a reason to be hated … it’s pretty much clear.”
Navarro suggested the Fox board of directors should “step in,” calling out former Republican Speaker Paul Ryan (Wis.) by name. Ryan joined the board of Fox Corp. in 2019.
“They call themselves patriots,” she said. “It’s not enough to be posting flags about Ukraine. There’s a bunch of folks on that board … who I wish would be weighing in and saying we cannot be Russian state TV. At least not every hour.”