Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti announced Saturday that he was “investigating” an allegation that Fox News host Tucker Carlson assaulted a “gay Latino immigrant,” but ended up revealing that Carlson, who was recently the target of a violent “Antifa” protest lat week, has been harassed by leftists before.
Avenatti posted a link to a video on his Twitter account. The full YouTube clip, available here (language warning) in addition to within Avenatti’s tweet, shows Carlson and his son in a state of anger, amid a small crowd of onlookers urging the pair to calm down. Carlson can be heard on the video telling someone off camera to “get the f— out of here.”
1/2 – We are investigating an alleged assault on a gay latino immigrant committed by T. Carlson and/or members of his inner circle at a club in VA in Oct. It likely includes underage drinking in violation of VA law. Link to a portion of the incident:https://t.co/QcbCRHrplP
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) November 10, 2018
The video does not show a physical altercation.
Avenatti, of course, claimed that the video was evidence in an investigation he was conducting into an alleged “assault” that took place at a Virginia country club, and implied that he may be representing the “gay Latino immigrant” that Carlson “assaulted.”
But Carlson says the video is evidence of something different: an evening of targeted harassment that turned ugly. That harassment, Carlson says, was directed at him and his teenaged daughter, who happened to meet the man as she was returning from a trip to the lavatory during a family dinner.
In a statement to Business Insider, Carlson outlined the series of events, and denied ever assaulting a “gay Latino immigrant.”
“On October 13, I had dinner with two of my children and some family friends at the Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Virginia. Toward the end of the meal, my 19-year-old daughter went to the bathroom with a friend. On their way back through the bar, a middle aged man stopped my daughter and asked if she was sitting with Tucker Carlson. My daughter had never seen the man before. She answered: ‘That’s my dad,’ and pointed to me. The man responded, ‘Are you Tucker’s whore?’ He then called her a ‘f—— c—,'” Carlson said.
“My daughter returned to the table in tears. She soon left the table and the club. My son, who is also a student, went into the bar to confront the man. I followed. My son asked the man if he’d called his sister a ‘whore’ and a ‘c**t.’ The man admitted he had, and again became profane. My son threw a glass of red wine in the man’s face and told him to leave the bar, which he soon did,” he continued.
Carlson said he did not know the man personally and had no idea he was either “gay” or an “immigrant.”
“Immediately after the incident, I described these events to the management of the Farmington Country Club. The club spent more than three weeks investigating the incident. Last week, they revoked the man’s membership and threw him out of the club,” Carlson said.
Carlson added that, while he and his son refrained from touching the man, it took a wealth of self-control to keep cool.
“I love my children. It took enormous self-control not to beat the man with a chair, which is what I wanted to do. I think any father can understand the overwhelming rage and shock that I felt seeing my teenage daughter attacked by a stranger. But I restrained myself. I did not assault this man, and neither did my son,” Carlson said. “That is a lie. Nor did I know the man was gay or Latino, not that it would have mattered. What happened on October 13 has nothing to do with identity politics. It was a grotesque violation of decency. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
Avenatti took to Twitter to accuse the Fox News host of lying. As with his claims about now-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Avenatti claimed he had multiple “witnesses” willing to testify that Carlson was the aggressor, and that his target sat “calmly” at a bar. Avenatti also claims he has evidence Carlson told the subject to “go back where he came from.”
Avenatti included a witness’ statement in one of his tweets, though it appears to have been selectively edited.
These are from one of the eyewitness stmts that completely undercuts the lies Tucker Carlson is now telling in connection with his bigotry directed at Juan, a gay Latino immigrant. Tucker’s conduct is not only illegal, it is also disgraceful. pic.twitter.com/PqQINUUjVO
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) November 10, 2018
Avenatti appeared to admit the club conducted an investigation, but insists that he plans to conduct his own and to file charges against Carlson and another “bald man.”
Last week, Carlson was the victim of a “protest” that allegedly turned violent. Members of D.C.’s anti-fascist community gathered at Carlson’s home, closed off the streets, and, according to Carlson, tried to break down his home’s front door. His wife, who was home at the time, fled to a back room and called 911.
