Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson alleged that the CIA has been intercepting his private communications and is preparing a criminal referral to the Department of Justice, claiming he faces potential charges under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for communicating with Iranian contacts before the war began.
"The CIA has been reading my texts," Carlson stated. "They have intercepted my private communications with contacts in Iran in the period leading up to the beginning of the current conflict. And on the basis of those texts—texts!—they are preparing to accuse me of being an unregistered foreign agent under FARA."
Carlson denied any wrongdoing, insisting he has never worked for, taken money from, or advocated on behalf of any foreign government. He characterized his communications as routine journalism, stating: "I am an American journalist who has done what American journalists have always done, which is talk to people all over the world in an effort to understand what's happening."
The commentator framed the alleged investigation as part of a broader pattern, warning that criminalizing journalistic contact with overseas sources sets a dangerous precedent. "If they can do this to me, they can do it to anyone. Any reporter, any commentator, anyone who has a phone and uses it to talk to sources overseas could be targeted in exactly the same way," he said.
Carlson also referenced a 2021 incident when his private texts were leaked to media outlets, characterizing it as "clearly an intelligence operation." He argued the current situation represents an escalation from leaking to building criminal cases based on private conversations.