Reports have surfaced indicating both News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch and Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch had conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the weeks leading up to Tucker Carlson’s abrupt and shocking firing from Fox News.
The scoop comes via Semafor, a news outlet founded by former CEO of Bloomberg Media Justin Smith and former New York Times columnist Ben Smith.
Semafor indicates Ruport fielded a previously “unreported” call with Zelensky in the spring while Lachlan had a discussion with the Ukraine President on March 15th.
So why does it matter?
“The conversations came weeks before the Murdochs fired their biggest star and most outspoken critic of American support for Ukraine, Tucker Carlson,” they write.
This article strongly suggests that the Murdochs talked to Zelensky, and Tucker’s opposition to the US proxy war in Ukraine was a major factor in his firing.
I’ll await confirmation, but one thing is for sure: his removal eliminated the most influential anti-war voice from TV: https://t.co/eZ8DODnsLk
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) May 1, 2023
RELATED: Tucker Carlson Breaks Silence in Fiery Video: ‘Still Some Places Americans Can Say True Things’
Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch Spoke to Zelensky Before Tucker Carlson Was Fired
Zelensky, according to one source, did not raise the topic of Carlson’s vocal criticism of him or the outrageous levels of funding for the war during the phone calls with the Murdochs.
“The Murdochs have not revealed which of Carlson’s many provocations triggered his firing, and there’s no particular suggestion that Zelenskyy — whom Carlson had called a ‘dictator’ — delivered the final blow,” Semafor points out.
Still, the report strongly insinuates a correlation between his departure and the benefit it has for Zelensky.
“But Carlson’s firing will immediately relieve pressure on key Capitol Hill Ukraine supporters whom Carlson had criticized on air — and sometimes pressed behind the scenes to change their positions on the war,” they write.
Semafor also points out early on in their article that “Senior Ukrainian officials had made their objections to Carlson’s coverage known to Fox executives.”
Among those cheering Tucker’s ouster:
Jacobin Mag social democrats, because he was not a leftist anti-imperialist
Volodymyr Zelensky, who personally lobbied the Murdochs against him because he was undermining the endless war effort pic.twitter.com/5rJr79xx8E
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) May 2, 2023
RELATED: Let’s Check In On Fox News Ratings After Tucker Carlson Was Fired – And Hoo Boy…
Carlson Called Zelensky a ‘Troll’
Prior to his firing last month, Tucker Carlson was perhaps the only media personality calling for a public accounting of how American taxpayer money was being spent in Ukraine and criticizing Zelensky for his repeated demands for such war funding.
And he did so with some fiery commentary.
Carlson had referred to Zelensky as a “troll” who was repeatedly “shaking down” Congress for more money.
“Zelenskyy is now shaking down our cowardly Congress for more cash at the very moment our own economy and our own borders are collapsing,” the former Fox News host said before playing a clip of the President of Ukraine saying he would need an additional $55 billion in aid.
After playing the video, Carlson really let loose on Zelensky.
“Some uppity foreigner in a T-shirt demanding money for his critical economic needs. We have critical economic needs too, buddy,” Carlson railed. “Who are you, troll? Go away.”
Tucker Carlson Responding To Zelensky Demanding More Money
“Some uppity foreigner in a t-shirt demanding money for his ‘critical economic needs.’ We have critical economic needs too, buddy. Who are you troll? Go away.” pic.twitter.com/nqHDmiJBKF
— The Columbia Bugle (@ColumbiaBugle) October 14, 2022
While there has been much speculation that Carlson’s opposition to spending on a proxy war with Russia is what led to his firing, the Murdochs have yet to explain their actions.
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POLL: Do you think Zelensky was behind Tucker Carlson’s firing?
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In the days following Tucker Carlson’s firing, Fox News suffered a major ratings collapse.
In a video last week, the most popular cable news host in America today pointed to a serious lack of “legitimate debate” about several topics in the media today, one being “war.”
Good evening pic.twitter.com/SPrsYKWKCE
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 27, 2023
Carlson also made cryptic references to “political parties” shutting down such conversation while “liars” are out there trying to silence opposing viewpoints by “force.”
“Political parties, and their donors, have reached consensus on what benefits them – and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it,” he alleged.
Could he have been alluding to his opposition to the Ukraine war?
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