Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) was invited to be on Fox's Tucker Carlson Monday night, he said online. Instead, he told Carlson to take a flying leap and issued a video of his own to call out the reckless "reporting" from the opinion host.
Sunday, Mother Jones revealed a Russian memo showing Russian officials are demanding that state TV programs promote Carlson's monologues.
"I got an invitation to do Tucker Carlson's show tonight," he said in the video. "And there's no way I'll go on his show for a number of reasons. But first, let me state that his insistence that the west was provoking war with Putin, his spreading lies about 'biolabs,' and his continued spewing of conspiracy theories are nothing but complete evil. His show is full of Russian propaganda and not news and I will not validate his show by making an appearance. I do not want to be associated with it in any way."
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He went on to say that Carlson's goal to challenge Kinzinger on television is part of his agenda to help promote the propaganda.
"We know the interview would be promoted to get more viewers to make more money to further empower his garbage. And let's talk tactics: When Tucker interviews someone in a hostile way, he interrupts and laughs when he's caught in a lie," Kinzinger explained. "And after the segment is over, he brings on another guest to try and discredit any statement made by the prior guests without counter. He's not interested in conversations. He's only interested in himself. And at the end of the day, he'll continue to use his platform to deceive his all too trusting viewers and further his own sense of power."
Kinzinger also explained that this war is a serious one and conversations about it should be legitimate ones, not those filled with innuendo and propaganda. A self-serving showboat desperate for more clicks is the last thing the world needs, he noted.
Kinzinger closed by saying his goal tonight is to support Ukraine, not Carlson, and certainly not Russia.
See the video below:
Tucker Carlson invited me on his show tonight, but that\u2019s not going to happen\u2026ever. While he echoes Putin\u2019s lies, I\u2019ll remain focused on supporting the Ukrainian people. My video statement:pic.twitter.com/plfOhh6bNb— Adam Kinzinger (@Adam Kinzinger) 1647298826
