Abbott knocks Dominion over Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) bashed Dominion Voting Systems over the departure of Tucker Carlson from Fox News, following a report that the popular conservative prime-time host was fired from the network as part of its settlement with the voting software company.

Carlson was told by a member of the network’s board of directors that he was taken off the air as part of the Fox News settlement with Dominion, according to Axios, which cited unidentified sources briefed on the conversations. Abbott said if the reporting was true, then he is “happy that Dominion does not operate in Texas.”

“We may disagree with other’s positions, but we should never try to improperly silence views contrary to our own,” Abbott said on Twitter on Saturday. “If Dominion wants to do business with Texas in the future, they should first answer questions about what role, if any, they played in silencing a prominent conservative journalist.”

A Fox News spokesperson in a statement to Axios said that the idea that Carlson was let go of as part of the settlement was “categorically false.” An attorney for Dominion also told the news outlet that it did not insist on Carlson being fired.

A Dominion spokesperson told The Hill early Sunday that nothing about Carlson was part of the settlement, and any claims otherwise are false.

Carlson’s high-profile departure came just days after Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion for more than $780 million. The suit revolved around the network’s coverage of former President Trump and his allies’ claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

The decision by Fox News to part ways with Carlson also came at a time when he hosted the most popular prime-time cable news show in the country.

Carlson’s Fox News contract runs until the start of 2025, with the network insisting on still paying him. But the contract also includes a noncompete provision that limits his ability to launch another show. 

Carlson said last week that he planned to move his show to Twitter, with the announcement video garnering over 128 million views on the platform.

–Updated at 10:03 a.m.