Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell accused Fox News host Tucker Carlson of instigating death threats against him, as well as being “a phony” who doesn’t believe the things he says on television.
“You know what kind of man [Tucker Carlson] is?” Swalwell began in a three-tweet thread. “After protestors vandalized his house a few years ago, I tweeted that was wrong. I took heat. Didn’t care — that was wrong. What did Tucker do? Just months later, Tucker repeatedly lied on his show that I’d be taking everyone’s guns. What do you think happened next? Death threats rolled in against me and my children. A Small business run by family members was harassed.”
“Did Tucker care? No,” Swalwell continued. “He lies and spreads disinformation for the worst reason: it sells. Any one who has met and talked to Tucker knows he doesn’t believe the bullsh** he’s peddling. I’ve talked to him before shows. He laughs at his own act. He’s a phony. I’m sorry he feels his family is threatened. But, when I spoke up to protect his family, he went on air to cash in on dangerous lies about me.”
everyone’s guns. What do you think happened next? Death threats rolled in against me and my children. A Small business run by family members was harassed. Did Tucker care? No. He lies and spreads disinformation for the worst reason: it sells. Any one who has met and talked to
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) July 21, 2020
Tucker knows he doesn’t believe the bullshit he’s peddling. I’ve talked to him before shows. He laughs at his own act. He’s a phony. I’m sorry he feels his family is threatened. But, when I spoke up to protect his family, he went on air to cash in on dangerous lies about me.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) July 21, 2020
In a May 2018 op-ed for USA Today, Swalwell argued in favor of federally banning assault weapons, instituting a mandatory buyback program, and potentially jailing those who resist. “We should ban possession of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons, we should buy back such weapons from all who choose to abide by the law, and we should criminally prosecute any who choose to defy it by keeping their weapons,” he wrote.
Swalwell reiterated his gun control position when he was a Democratic presidential candidate, a topic Carlson discussed on his show.
Carlson on Monday claimed The New York Times is working on a story about the location of his family’s house to attack him because of his politics. “Last week The New York Times began working on a story about where my family and I live,” he said in part. “As a matter of journalism there is no conceivable justification for a story like that. The paper is not alleging we’ve done anything wrong and we haven’t. We pay our taxes. We like our neighbors. We’ve never had a dispute with anyone.”
Carlson continued, “So why is The New York Times doing a story on the location of my family’s house? Well, you know why. To hurt us, to injure my wife and kids so that I will shut up and stop disagreeing with them. They believe in force. We’ve learned that.” He mentioned how he and his family were forced to move after left-wing activists attacked their home in 2018 and sent them months of death threats. He alleged the NYT is trying to enable such a thing to happen again.
“Editors there know exactly what will happen to my family when it does run,” he said. “I called them today and I told them. But they didn’t care. They hate my politics. They want the show off the air.”
Tucker responds to intrusive reporting by The New York Times. pic.twitter.com/xj4z69G9cA
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 21, 2020
The Times has since responded by claiming that they have no plan to reveal the street address of Carlson’s family home. The response from the paper has been met with backlash, with critics noting that Carlson accused the paper of highlighting the home’s general “location,” not the physical address.