The Republicans’ theatrical production in recent weeks has been exasperating to watch. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy started the first act by giving Fox News’ Tucker Carlson exclusive access to sensitive Jan. 6 footage, despite — or more likely, because of — the television personality’s ridiculous record of covering the insurrectionist attack on the Capitol in irresponsible ways.
Naturally, the California Republican exploited the move by turning it into a fundraising appeal — claiming that he was advancing “truth and transparency over partisan games,” when he was obviously doing the opposite.
The Fox host aired the second act on his program last night, doing exactly what everyone knew he would do: Carlson cherry-picked footage that was designed to bolster the counter-narrative that the controversial television personality has pushed for two years.
This, naturally, set the stage for the third act: Many Republicans, sticking to the partisan script, are seizing on Carlson’s predictable coverage to advance their predetermined agenda.
Take Donald Trump, for example.
Two years ago, the former president saw a political benefit to condemning the attack and the rioters who targeted the Capitol at his behest. In time, Trump ultimately defended the insurrectionists, embraced them, offered them pardons, and even recorded a weird song with some of them.
But Carlson’s show has given the former president a whole new reason to abandon the pretense he tried to maintain in the immediate aftermath of the Capitol violence. Last night, for example, the Republican turned to his social media platform to condemn the Jan. 6 committee’s investigation as a “scam,” adding, “‘Trump’ and most others are totally innocent.” (I have no idea why he referred to himself in third person with quotes around his name.)
The former president soon after praised McCarthy for helping create the scheme, before adding, “A whole new, and completely opposite, picture has now been indelibly painted. The Unselect Committee LIED, and should be prosecuted for their actions.”
This morning, he went even further. The Washington Post reported:
Former president Donald Trump continued Tuesday to voice solidarity with the mob that overran the U.S. Capitol more than two years ago, writing in a social media post, “LET THE JANUARY 6 PRISONERS GO. THEY WERE CONVICTED, OR ARE AWAITING TRIAL, BASED ON A GIANT LIE, A RADICAL LEFT CON JOB,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.
To the extent that reality still has any role in the discussion, Trump’s claims were utterly bonkers, but some of his GOP allies have begun pushing the same line. Before Carlson’s program last night was even over, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, for example, accused the bipartisan select committee that investigated the attack of having “LIED to America,” adding, “They must be held accountable.” Around the same time, Rep. Mike Collins, also of Georgia, published a tweet that read, “I’ve seen enough. Release all J6 political prisoners now.”
Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii told NBC News yesterday, “Electorally, it’s not to their advantage to be on the side of insurrectionists. But hasn’t stopped them before.” Evidently, it’s not stopping them now, either. In fairness, it’s important to emphasize that plenty of other Republicans, most notably in the Senate, have not taken a Trump-like position on Carlson’s coverage. Some GOP senators this morning rejected the Fox host’s conclusions in candid terms. But the House Republican Conference is nevertheless helping promote Carlson’s segment, and the former president is seizing on it to call for the release of suspected criminals. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered floor remarks this morning, accusing the Fox host of telling “disgraceful lies” and airing “one of the most shameful hours we have ever seen on cable television.” The New York Democrat went to say Carlson has sided with “the enemies of democracy.” Unfortunately, Carlson apparently isn’t the only one.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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