Tucker Carlson claims the CIA is preparing a criminal referral against him to the Department of Justice, alleging he violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act by communicating with Iranian contacts prior to a recent conflict.
Carlson addressed the matter directly, saying the agency was viewing conversations he had with people in the country as part of its investigation.
“What’s that crime? Well, talking to people in Iran before the war,” he shared. “They read my texts. So, the crime under consideration apparently would be the Foreign Agent Act or something like that, acting as an agent of a foreign power.”
Tucker Carlson dismissed the seriousness of the potential case, stating, “I don’t expect this to go anywhere.”
He pushed back firmly on the underlying allegation, arguing, “I’m not an agent of a foreign power. Unlike a lot of people commenting on US politics and global affairs, I have only one loyalty, and that’s the United States, and have never acted against it.”
The former Fox News host also denied ever receiving outside financial compensation — “I’ve also never taken money from anybody. Don’t need it, don’t want it. And that’s provable” — and framed his conversations with foreign nationals as a core part of his professional responsibilities.
“It’s my job to talk to everybody all the time and try and figure out what’s happening around the world,” he said. “That’s literally what I do for a living.”
Carlson expressed confidence that the matter would not advance into a formal criminal case.
“Legally, I think the case is ludicrous, and I doubt it will even become a case,” he said. He added that he has every right to engage with foreign sources as an American. “I have no secrets to divulge.”
Neither the CIA nor the Department of Justice has issued a public statement after Carlson’s comments.
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