Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said the former chief of the U.S. Capitol Police told him that the crowd protesting the 2020 election at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was “filled with federal agents.”
Carlson made the statement during an episode of Russell Brand’s “Stay Free” podcast on Friday.
“What is your sincere opinion of what went on on Jan. 6 and why do you feel that there is yet an attempt to regard it as a deliberate insurrection?” Brand asked.
Carlson first noted that one of his children was working on Capitol Hill during the protest, so he had a personal interest in what happened that day.
Carlson further stated that he opposed any violence that occurred, but for context pointed out that more law enforcement officers were injured during the race riot outside the White House in May 2020 following the death of George Floyd than on Jan. 6, 2021.
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“The only reason I ever got involved in commenting on [Jan. 6] was … the lying about it was immediate: ‘This was a racist, white supremacist insurrection.’”
“There is no indication to this day that race had anything to do with it at all,” he continued. “These are people who thought the election was stolen from them. There’s some evidence they were right. We could debate that. But that’s what they thought.”
The visceral response people had to Carlson questioning the media narrative made him want to dig in more, concluding, “Nobody here is operating in good faith.”
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“They immediately recoiled when you asked any questions about Jan. 6, and that was a tip-off to me,” he explained.
Carlson then was told by Steven Sund, the chief of the Capitol Police on Jan. 6, that the federal government had undercover agents among the crowd that day.
“He would know, of course, because he was in charge of security at the site,” Carlson noted.
🚨BREAKING: Tucker Carlson says the Chief of the Police at the Capitol told him that the crowd on J6 was “FILLED with federal agents” pic.twitter.com/joPEmioX7W
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 7, 2023
Carlson was not able to air his interview with Sund before Fox News fired him, the former host said. He added that he plans to interview Sund again.
In January 2022, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas questioned then-FBI Assistant Executive Director Jill Sanborn during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing about the role the bureau may have played in the Capitol incursion.
“How many FBI agents or confidential informants actively participated in the events of Jan. 6?” Cruz asked.
“Sir, I’m sure you can appreciate that I can’t go into the specifics of sources and methods,” Sanborn answered.
CRUZ: “Did any FBI agents or confidential informants actively participate in the events of January 6th?”
“I can’t answer that.” pic.twitter.com/UgD9mQVLkP
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 11, 2022
Cruz then asked a broader question: “Did any FBI agents or confidential informants actively participate in the events of Jan. 6? Yes or no.”
“Sir, I can’t answer that,” Sanborn replied.
