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Tucker Carlson criticised by the White House after latest Capitol riot segment on Fox

In a rare reaction, nearly all aspects of the political spectrum came out to attack the ‘news’ host for his whitewashing of the January 6 siege.

Update:
In a rare reaction, nearly all aspects of the political spectrum came out to attack the 'news' host for his whitewashing of the January 6 siege.
BRENDAN MCDERMIDREUTERS

Tucker Carlson’s latest claims surrounding the 2021 Capitol riots have drawn a swift rebuke from the White House after the Fox News anchor argued against the framing of the attack as a riot.

Spokesperson Andrew Bates said the White House agreed with critics of Carlson, including the “chief of the Capitol Police and the wide range of bipartisan lawmakers” that “condemned this false depiction of the unprecedented, violent attack”.

“We also agree with what Fox News’s own attorneys and executives have now repeatedly stressed in multiple courts of law: that Tucker Carlson is not credible.”

The statement references a 2020 court ruling that suggested Carlson should not be believed by viewers due to the “general tenor” of his programme. The ruling continued, “... given Mr. Carlson’s reputation, any reasonable viewer ‘arrive[s] with an appropriate amount of skepticism’ about the statement he makes.”

Traditional allies of Fox News came out against Carlson. Senior Republican leader Mitch McConnell said it had been a “mistake for Fox News to depict this in a way that’s completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official here at the Capitol thinks”.

A statement from Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger was brandished by McConnell in which Manger accused Carlson of “conveniently cherry-pick[ing] from the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video”.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell holds a statement by Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger which condemned the Tucker Carlson video.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell holds a statement by Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger which condemned the Tucker Carlson video.Tom WilliamsGetty