Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is facing renewed criticism over comments he made earlier this week dismissing allegations that the Kremlin has ordered assassinations of political dissidents, days before Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was killed in prison.
In an interview with Egyptian journalist Emad El Din Adeeb at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday, Carlson defended his softball interview with Putin when pressed about not asking the Russian dictator about the Kremlin allegedly ordering the assassination of political opponents.
“It’s not for me to give you a lecture about that, but you should challenge some ideas,” Adeeb said. “For instance, you didn’t talk about freedom of speech in Russia, you did not talk about [Alexei] Navalny, about assassinations, about restrictions on opposition in the coming elections.”
“I didn’t talk about the things that every other American media outlet talks about,” Carlson responded.
“I have spent my life talking to people who run countries in various countries and have concluded the following: that every leader kills people, including my leader. Every leader kills people, some kill more than others. Leadership requires killing people, sorry, that’s why I wouldn’t want to be a leader,” he added.
The clip drew widespread condemnation on Friday after it was resurfaced following the murder of Navalny in prison.
Carlson has since criticized Putin after Navalny’s death, telling the Daily Mail: “It’s horrifying what happened to Navalny. The whole thing is barbaric and awful. No decent person would defend it.”
