An FBI raid on the home of a local Tampa Bay politician and her blogger husband is reportedly connected to a federal criminal investigation into a hack of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson&#8217;s show.
The FBI raided the home of leftist blogger Tim Burke and his wife, far-Left Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak, earlier this month, but did not disclose any details.
The Tampa Bay Times <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2023/05/26/tucker-carlson-fox-news-hacks-tied-fbi-search-tampa-council-members-home/">reported</a> that it obtained a letter that federal prosecutors sent to Fox News that described &#8220;an ongoing criminal probe into computer hacks at the company, including unaired video from Tucker Carlson’s show.&#8221;
While the letter does not mention Burke, multiple sources familiar with the matter told the publication that the raid of the home is connected with the alleged hacks of Fox News.
The investigation centers around the leak of unaired footage of Carlson&#8217;s interview with now-disgraced rapper Kanye West and numerous video leaks in recent weeks that were published by the leftist organization Media Matters.
The letter said that Vice News, which published the Kanye West clips; Media Matters; and Fox News employees were not accused of any wrongdoing in the investigation.
Burke has gone radio silent ever since the raid and has largely stopped posting content online.
The report said that the letter outlined numerous federal statutes that may have been violated, including unauthorized computer access, interception of communications, conspiracy, and other crimes.
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

Tucker Carlson

FBI Raids Democrat Politician’s Home Over Hack Of Tucker Carlson: Report

Media

U.S.

The legacy media has insisted for years now that questions about Ray Epps are just conspiracy theories.
Last month, 60 Minutes did a fawning <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHEEGxQKg20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Epps. The New York Times did a glowing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/13/us/politics/jan-6-conspiracy-theory-ray-epps.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">profile</a> of him in July. Despite the media&#8217;s best efforts to present him as simply a victim of circumstance though, questions around the infamous January 6 provocateur remain unanswered.
Epps was a central figure in the Capitol riot from the beginning.
The 62-year-old Marine veteran from Arizona is seen in multiple video clips from January 6 and the day before trying to whip up other <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> supporters to “go into the Capitol” the next day.
“In fact, tomorrow, I don’t even like to say it cause I’ll be arrested,” Epps <a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/1451272067173736455" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tells</a> a man filming him with a phone camera.
“Well, let’s not say it,” the man responds.
“I’ll say it. We need to go into the Capitol,” Epps says.
“I’m going to put it out there. I’m probably going to go to jail for this. Tomorrow, we need to go into the Capitol, into the Capitol!” Epps tells fellow protesters in another clip.
“What? No! No!” members of the crowd respond in unison.
“Peacefully!” Epps adds.
The crowd of Trump supporters then starts chanting, “Fed! Fed! Fed!” at Epps.
At least four times on video, Epps repeats his call to action.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is the only Jan 6 participant Adam Kinzinger will defend! 
Still not arrested&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/v7nOggQUID">pic.twitter.com/v7nOggQUID</a>
&mdash; Darren J. Beattie 🌐 (@DarrenJBeattie) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenJBeattie/status/1534967914423537676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Epps also texted his nephew that he &#8220;orchestrated&#8221; the riot.
&#8220;I was in the front with a few others, I also orchestrated it,&#8221; the text from Epps <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHEEGxQKg20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reads</a>.
Epps was initially on the FBI&#8217;s wanted list for January 6, but he was suddenly dropped. Thousands of others who behaved much less provocatively remained on the list, including at least <a href="https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/boise-woman-sentenced-for-role-in-us-capitol-riot-pamela-hemphill-january-6-2021/277-3aa12194-5a54-4abe-88a2-d644cf5043aa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two</a> <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jun/23/anna-morgan-lloyd-indiana-grandmother-sentenced-ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grandmas</a> who were sentenced.
The main question that has stuck to Epps is whether he was working undercover for the federal government, the FBI in particular.
In January, 2022, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) asked the FBI deputy director point blank if the FBI had worked with Epps during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
She refused to answer.
“Was Ray Epps a fed?” Cruz <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/ted-cruz-grills-fbi-on-ray-epps-asks-if-fbi-had-informants-on-jan-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> Jill Sanborn, executive assistant director of the FBI’s National Security Branch.
“Sir, I can’t answer that question,” Sanborn replied.
Epps was interviewed by the January 6 select committee in November and again in January.
On January 11, the same day as Cruz’s questioning, the committee released a <a href="https://twitter.com/January6thCmte/status/1481007562187280387" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> saying it is aware of “unsupported claims” that Epps was an FBI informant. The statement said Epps told them “he was not employed by, working with, or acting at the direction of any law enforcement agency.”
Recently in a wild new ripple to the situation, a woman who claims to be Epps&#8217; adopted daughter <a href="https://twitter.com/dom_lucre/status/1650694044572438537" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publicly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Tiffanyjones316/status/1452467641969299460" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> him of sexually abusing her when she was a child. She <a href="https://twitter.com/dom_lucre/status/1650956295208304641" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/dom_lucre/status/1650684392874864640" target="_blank" rel="noopener">family pictures</a> and what she said are her adoption papers on social media.
60 Minutes said Epps &#8220;doesn&#8217;t understand how he got cast as the villain&#8221; and that his version of the story is &#8220;more mundane.&#8221; Even 60 Minutes, though, admitted Epps &#8220;almost immediately stepped into trouble&#8221; once he arrived in the nation&#8217;s capital.
&#8220;It&#8217;s hard to see our Capitol under attack,&#8221; Epps lamented to the interviewer as they watched the footage together.
Epps also lashed out at former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who brought national attention to the questions surrounding Epps, saying Carlson is &#8220;obsessed with me&#8221; and trying to &#8220;destroy my life.&#8221;
It doesn&#8217;t help the questions surrounding Epps that Carlson was fired from Fox News just before he planned to deliver a monologue on air that <a href="https://twitter.com/Chadwick_Moore/status/1660643619378741254" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delved into</a> those questions.
The FBI told 60 Minutes that &#8220;Ray Epps has never been an FBI source or an FBI employee.&#8221;
For now, even that assurance will likely do little to put skeptics at ease.

Pro-Trump Protests get Violent over Electoral College Certification

Why The Ray Epps Questions Won’t Go Away Despite The Media’s Best Efforts

Why The Ray Epps Questions Won't Go Away Despite The Media's Best Efforts

Biden

Capitol Riot

Donald Trump

January 6

Mainstream Media

Ray Epps

Readers Pass

A political action committee launched to push Fox News host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tucker-carlson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a> into the 2024 presidential race has shut down after receiving a legal threat from Carlson’s attorney.
The Draft Tucker PAC was launched after Fox News took Carlson off the air and canceled his primetime show. Carlson is still under contract with Fox News and likely bound by a non-compete clause from relaunching another show, something he has promised to do. He is reportedly negotiating his departure from the network.
The Draft Tucker PAC was launched amid speculation that Carlson might enter the presidential race. Harmeet Dhillon, Carlson’s attorney, shut down that speculation on Monday in a cease-and-desist letter to the PAC.
“Mr. Carlson will not run for President in 2024 under any circumstances, and therefore your misrepresentations are damaging to Mr. Carlson and defrauding his supporters,” Dhillon wrote in the letter obtained by <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4016391-draft-tucker-pac-ceases-activities-after-legal-threat-from-carlson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hill</a>. “If you do not immediately cease and desist your efforts to solicit money to ‘draft’ Mr. Carlson, we will use every legal means at our disposal to vindicate his rights and protect his supporters from these misrepresentations.”
“You are using Mr. Carlson’s name and image for the value associated with it, trading on his good name to raise money for an organization Mr. Carlson does not support and for a goal he expressly and unreservedly stated he will never pursue,” the attorney continued, according to The <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/tucker-carlson-hits-super-pac-trying-to-draft-him-into-2024-race-with-legal-complaint" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Beast</a>. “You appear to be using Mr. Carlson’s name, image, and likeness for your own benefit, including by raising money using Mr. Carlson’s name that you are using to pay yourselves and collecting a valuable list of donor’s contact information that you can then sell or lease for more profit.”
Dhillon asked the PAC to preserve documents, adding, “Mr. Carlson may be forced to pursue litigation.”
Draft Tucker executive director Charlie Kolean told <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/may/22/tucker-carlson-shuts-down-draft-tucker-pac-2024-ta/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Times</a> that Carlson’s attorney had asked the PAC to “cease all activities on his behalf. We are going to honor that request.”
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Before it shut down, the PAC raised just $212 online, PAC chairman Chris Ekstrom told The Hill. Ekstrom put in $35,000 of his own money. He said the $212 raised online would be donated to charity or returned to donors.
Draft Tucker had been running ads on Newsmax calling for Carlson to run. It asked the conservative news outlet to pull the ads following Dhillon’s letter.

Tucker Carlson Shuts Down Group Pushing 2024 Run With Legal Threat: ‘Defrauding His Supporters’

Tucker Carlson Shuts Down Group Pushing 2024 Run With Legal Threat

Elections

Fox News

Harmeet Dhillon

Politics

Former Fox News host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlson-ouster-may-sideline-him-for-2024-election-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a> responded — through his attorney – to a PAC that attempted to draft him for a 2024 presidential run, and he made it absolutely clear that he was not interested.
Carlson&#8217;s attorney Harmeet Dhillon sent the Draft Tucker PAC a cease and desist letter, which was <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-sends-cease-and-desist-to-pac-fundraising-for-candidacy-will-not-run-for-president-in-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obtained by Mediaite</a>, demanding that they stop raising funds using <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/retirement-is-going-great-so-far-tucker-carlson-laughs-off-reporters-who-interrupt-his-dinner-date" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carlson&#8217;s</a> name.
&#8220;It has come to Mr. Carlson’s attention that you are soliciting contributions and donor contact information from the public by representing that the funds will be used to draft Mr. Tucker to run for President in 2024,&#8221; Dhillon wrote, adding, &#8220;Mr. Carlson will not run for President in 2024 under any circumstances, and therefore your misrepresentations are damaging to Mr. Carlson and defrauding his supporters.&#8221;
&#8220;If you do not immediately cease and desist your efforts to solicit money to ‘draft’ Mr. Carlson, we will use every legal means at our disposal to vindicate his rights and protect his supporters from these misrepresentations,&#8221; the letter continued.
The PAC, according to a <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4012725-pac-to-draft-tucker-carlson-for-president-launches/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from The Hill, was formed by Chris Ekstrom — a GOP donor and former congressional candidate in Texas – and filed the necessary Federal Election Commission (FEC) paperwork in late April following Carlson&#8217;s ouster from Fox News.
Ekstrom said that he wanted to draft Carlson because he worried that neither of the two likely frontrunners in the 2024 Republican primary – former President Donald Trump, who has already begun his campaign and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce a campaign in the coming days — would push the party far enough to the right.
&#8220;I’m very concerned that they’re going to not move the debate as far right as it ought to be,&#8221; Ekstrom told The Hill last Friday. &#8220;If Tucker Carlson entered the race in a reasonable amount of time and just continued in the same territory that he was covering at Fox, I think that’d be a rude awakening for both President Trump and Governor DeSantis.&#8221;

Someone Tried To Recruit Tucker Carlson To Run For President. Here’s What He Said.

Someone Tried To Recruit Tucker Carlson To Run For President. Here's What He Said

2024 Election

Biographer Chadwick Moore said on Monday that he knew why Fox News had pulled ratings king Tucker Carlson off the air on April 24 – and Carlson himself appeared to be on the same page.
Moore shared a video Monday morning promoting the upcoming biography – simply titled &#8220;Tucker&#8221; — and he said that some of the reporting on the subject had, in fact, been accurate.
&#8220;For the last year, I&#8217;ve been writing the definitive biography of @TuckerCarlson, based on thorough research and 100+ hours of interviews,&#8221; Moore tweeted. &#8220;But there&#8217;s some info that can&#8217;t wait for July 18: the scoop on why Fox canceled his show.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
For the last year, I&#39;ve been writing the definitive biography of <a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TuckerCarlson</a>, based on thorough research and 100+ hours of interviews.
But there&#39;s some info that can&#39;t wait for July 18: the scoop on why Fox canceled his show.
Watch below &amp; Pre-order: <a href="https://t.co/iouoSM47yw">https://t.co/iouoSM47yw</a> <a href="https://t.co/8nEIkhajVu">pic.twitter.com/8nEIkhajVu</a>
&mdash; Chadwick Moore (@Chadwick_Moore) <a href="https://twitter.com/Chadwick_Moore/status/1660643619378741254?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Moore began by explaining that he had spent the last year getting to know Carlson – along with his family and staff — and that he had been a frequent guest on the show, including the final show that aired on Friday, April 21.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve gotten to know Tucker the person, not the caricature that his enemies try to portray,&#8221; Moore said. &#8220;I was working closely with Tucker when he was taken off the air by Fox.&#8221;
But then he noted that he had also seen the monologue Carlson had planned to broadcast on Monday, April 24 – a monologue that would have been delivered just hours after Fox News announced that the popular host was out.
&#8220;That monologue dealt with, among other things, investigations around January 6th and particularly Ray Epps, the only person captured on video inciting people to violence at the Capitol that day, and allegedly an FBI informant who still has not been arrested or charged,&#8221; Moore continued.
He went on to say that it was a bit ironic, but the monologue also dealt with several people who were actively working to silence Carlson. &#8220;It has now been reported that his firing was a condition demanded by Dominion as part of the settlement with Fox. Although Dominion has denied this, my sources have intimate knowledge of the situation and have assured me — even before this news leaked – that that is, in fact, the truth.&#8221;
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&#8220;If that is true, it would mean that a small group of people who have a controlling interest in Dominion managed to silence what is arguably the most important and influential conservative voice in the country – possibly until after the next presidential election,&#8221; Moore concluded.
Carlson responded with an emoji showing eyes that were opened wide.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
👀 <a href="https://t.co/WEjfYnwXas">https://t.co/WEjfYnwXas</a>
&mdash; Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) <a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1660666071592910848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Fox News Host Tucker Carlson Appears At National Review Ideas Summit

Biographer Says He Knows Why Tucker Got Yanked From Fox News

Dominion Voting Systems

NBC News correspondent Tom Costello worried on Tuesday that no one would be able to &#8220;police&#8221; former Fox News host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tucker-carlson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a> if his show aired on Twitter.
Costello brought in ousted CNN anchor — and regular Fox News critic — Brian Stelter to discuss the situation, responding to Carlson&#8217;s announcement that he planned to bring a similar version of his popular show back to Twitter in the near future.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
NBC’s reaction to Tucker Carlson’s Twitter show announcement: “Will anybody be able to police what Carlson says or is this the point? It’s just a free for all?” 
 <a href="https://t.co/BmgZpPGFlm">pic.twitter.com/BmgZpPGFlm</a>
&mdash; ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) <a href="https://twitter.com/alx/status/1656135457506484224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Twitter was already under fire for misinformation, disinformation, all-out lies, anti-Semitism, racism before Elon Musk took over and now it’s gotten kind of crazy, right? Seemingly unmoored, if you will,&#8221; Costello began.
Pivoting to the direct question, Costello asked, &#8220;Will anybody be able to police what Carlson says? Or is this the point? It&#8217;s just a free-for-all?&#8221;
Stelter quickly agreed that having no rules appeared to be the point, saying, &#8220;It is a free-for-all, it’s what Elon Musk wants to provide. This move by Tucker may cement the idea of Twitter as a Right-wing website, and we see some users trying to go off to other sites instead.&#8221;
In his Tuesday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-tucker-carlson-announces-new-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announcement</a>, Carlson said that he wanted to take his show to Twitter because he believed it to be one of the few places where free speech was truly allowed — and even valued — and because Twitter as a platform did not take political sides.
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Twitter owner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elon-musk-releases-statement-about-tucker-carlsons-new-show-on-twitter-we-have-not-signed-a-deal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elon Musk</a> revealed after Carlson&#8217;s announcement that he had not been a part of any signed deal with the ousted Fox News host — but in the hours that followed, he reached out to former CNN anchor Don Lemon (who was fired by his own network the same day Fox announced Carlson&#8217;s departure) and suggested he come to Twitter as well.
&#8220;Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger,&#8221; Musk tweeted in response to Lemon&#8217;s April 24 tweet announcing his termination.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Have you considered doing your show on this platform? Maybe worth a try. Audience is much bigger.
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1656151522408026113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
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2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards

NBC Correspondent Worries That Twitter Won’t ‘Police’ Tucker: ‘It’s Just A Free-For-All’

NBC Correspondent Worries That Twitter Won't 'Police' Tucker

Brian Stelter

Don Lemon

Twitter

Twitter CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday afternoon that the platform has not signed any kind of a deal with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tucker-carlson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a> after the cable news host announced he was creating a new version of his show on the platform.
&#8220;On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said,&#8221; Musk said. &#8220;And, of course, anything misleading will get @CommunityNotes.&#8221;
&#8220;I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever,&#8221; Musk added. &#8220;Tucker is subject to the same rules &amp; rewards of all content creators. Rewards means subscriptions and advertising revenue share (coming soon), which is a function of how many people subscribe and the advertising views associated with the content.&#8221;
Musk&#8217;s statement that the company had not signed a deal with Carlson is important as Carlson still has not been let out of his contract with Fox News, which keeps him out of the media until January 2025 due to a non-compete clause.
Musk encouraged people, including those on the political Left, to be content creators on the platform.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
On this platform, unlike the one-way street of broadcast, people are able to interact, critique and refute whatever is said. 
And, of course, anything misleading will get <a href="https://twitter.com/CommunityNotes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CommunityNotes</a>. 
I also want to be clear that we have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever. Tucker is… <a href="https://t.co/0TMjuYnKUp">https://t.co/0TMjuYnKUp</a>
&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1656079504778092544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Carlson&#8217;s announcement came after a report at the start of the week said that he and Musk spoke about potentially working together.
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“Starting soon, we’ll be bringing a new version of the show we’ve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter,” Carlson said in his announcement video. “We’ll be bringing some other things too, which we’ll tell you about. But for now, we’re just grateful to be here. Free speech is the main right that you have, without it, you have no others. See you soon.”
Prior to Carlson making the announcement, his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, sent a letter to Fox officials Viet Dinh and Irena Briganti accusing the network of fraud and contract breach.
Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/09/tucker-carlson-fox-news-letter-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the letter sets Carlson up to make the argument that the non-compete provision in his contract is no longer valid, which would allow him to start the show or start a new media company.
The letter said that “Rupert Murdoch himself” broke promises to Carlson “intentionally and with reckless disregard for the truth.” The letter accuses Dinh and Murdoch of making “material representations,” or promises, to Carlson that were intentionally broken, constituting fraud, Axios said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlson-accuses-fox-news-of-fraud-and-contract-breach">Tucker Carlson Accuses Fox News Of Fraud And Contract Breach</a>

F1 Grand Prix of Miami – Final Practice

Elon Musk Releases Statement About Tucker Carlson’s New Show On Twitter: ‘We Have Not Signed A Deal’

Elon Musk Releases Statement About Tucker Carlson's New Show On Twitter: 'We Have Not Signed A Deal'

Business

Elon Musk

The attorney representing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tucker-carlson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a> accused Fox News of fraud and contract breach in a letter to top officials at the network.
The letter from attorney Bryan Freedman to Fox officials Viet Dinh and Irena Briganti was sent before Carlson released a video on Twitter Tuesday afternoon announcing that he was bringing a new version of his show to the platform.
&#8220;Starting soon we&#8217;ll be bringing a new version of the show we&#8217;ve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter,&#8221; Carlson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-tucker-carlson-announces-new-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in the video. &#8220;We bring some other things too, which we&#8217;ll tell you about. But for now we&#8217;re just grateful to be here. Free speech is the main right that you have. Without it, you have no others.&#8221;
Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/09/tucker-carlson-fox-news-letter-fraud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the letter sets Carlson up to make the argument that the non-compete provision in his contract is no longer valid, which would allow him to start the show or start a new media company.
The letter said that &#8220;Rupert Murdoch himself&#8221; broke promises to Carlson &#8220;intentionally and with reckless disregard for the truth.&#8221; The letter accuses Dinh and Murdoch of making “material representations,” or promises, to Carlson that were intentionally broken, constituting fraud, Axios said.
The report said that the letter alleges the network broke an agreement with Carlson to not leak his private communications to the media and to not use his private messages to &#8220;to take any adverse employment action against him.&#8221;
It was widely reported that some of Carlson&#8217;s private messages played a large role in the decision the Fox executives made to take Carlson off the air.
The letter also alleges that Fox News broke promises about how it would settle with Dominion Voting Systems as it related to Carlson. Carlson said that he was told by a board member that the Dominion settlement was part of the reason that he was taken off the air. Fox News said that it was &#8220;categorically false&#8221; that Carlson was fired because of the $787.5 million settlement.
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&#8220;Dominion did not insist on them firing Tucker Carlson as part of the settlement,&#8221; an attorney for Dominion told Axios.
The letter alleges that Briganti, Fox&#8217;s PR head, attempted to &#8220;undermine, embarrass, and interfere&#8221; with Carlson&#8217;s future business prospects, which Carlson&#8217;s team would constitute as another breach of his employment contract. The letter said they intend to &#8220;subpoena Ms. Briganti’s cell phone records and related documents.&#8221;

Tucker Carlson Accuses Fox News Of Fraud And Contract Breach

Fraud

Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch said on Tuesday that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fox-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a> will not amend the channel’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">primetime</a> strategy after the ouster of popular anchor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tucker-carlson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a>.
Fox News unexpectedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-tucker-carlson-out-at-fox-news-channel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last month that the network would “part ways” with Carlson, who had hosted “Tucker Carlson Tonight” for the past seven years and emerged as an influential voice in the conservative movement. Lachlan Murdoch, the son of media magnate and Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch, was pressed in a Tuesday <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/article/4601976-fox-corporation-fox-q3-2023-earnings-call-transcript?open_reset_password=true&amp;origin=confirm_registration&amp;utm_campaign=%7Cconfirmation_link_registration&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=seeking_alpha" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earnings call</a> about the implications of the departure for the strategy of Fox News.
“As regards to our programming strategy in primetime, there&#8217;s no change to our programming strategy at Fox News,” he responded. “It&#8217;s obviously a successful strategy. And as always, we are adjusting our programming and our lineup, and that&#8217;s what we continue to do. We are pleased with the strength of the advertising demand throughout our schedule, but particularly primetime.”
Fox News <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/03/fox-news-cable-ratings-march-1235312023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dominated</a> primetime ratings in the first three months of 2023, easily surpassing networks such as CNN and MSNBC with more than 2 million viewers each evening, during which “Tucker Carlson Tonight” was consistently the top primetime show, especially among the 25-54 age demographic coveted by advertisers. In the weeks after the Carlson ouster, on the other hand, Fox News <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-05-03/tv-ratings-story-for-the-week-of-april-24-30-wed-may-3-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">averaged</a> 1.5 million viewers at primetime and maintained none of the ten most popular cable programs. The five final editions of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” had accounted for each of the five largest primetime audiences at Fox News in the week before the ouster.
Murdoch and other Fox Corporation executives meanwhile <a href="https://investor.foxcorporation.com/static-files/5411d2e6-35bf-4740-988d-4de3ac589401" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a quarterly loss of $50 million, a sharp decline from the $290 million in the same fiscal period last year. The losses, which preceded the departure of Carlson, were attributable to a nearly $800 million <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fox-settles-landmark-defamation-suit-sparing-murdoch-from-witness-stand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">settlement</a> paid to Dominion Voting Systems, which had contended that Fox News hosts knowingly spread false claims about the company’s equipment following the 2020 election. Fox News guests, and allegedly some hosts, claimed Dominion had offered bribes and switched votes.
“We made the business decision to resolve this dispute and avoid the acrimony of a divisive trial and a multiyear appeal process,” Murdoch asserted in the earnings call. “Our decision is clearly in the best interest of the company and its shareholders. The settlement in no way alters Fox’s commitment to the highest journalistic standards across our company or our passion for unabashedly reporting the news of the day.”
Carlson said in a video <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlson-hints-at-future-in-new-statement-after-ouster-from-fox-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> published days after his dismissal from Fox News that he would direct his future efforts toward addressing topics not usually discussed on television news. He announced on Tuesday afternoon that he would <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-tucker-carlson-announces-new-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launch</a> a new show hosted on Twitter, a development which came days after he reportedly met with Twitter CEO Elon Musk.
<a class="c-link" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-59442">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
<div class="css-1dbjc4n">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1s2bzr4">
<div id="id__lhg4qhlyf9" class="css-901oao r-18jsvk2 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-rjixqe r-bcqeeo r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" lang="en" data-testid="tweetText">&#8220;At the most basic level, the news you consume is a lie. A lie of the stealthiest and most insidious kind: facts have been withheld on purpose, along with proportion and perspective. You are being manipulated,&#8221; he said in a video statement about his new program. &#8220;Twitter has long served as the place where our national conversation incubates and develops. Twitter is not a partisan site. Everybody is allowed here. And we think that&#8217;s a good thing.&#8221;</div>
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Fox CEO Reveals How Tucker Carlson Ouster Will Change Primetime Strategy

Fox CEO Says Carlson Ouster Will Produce ‘No Change’ In Primetime Strategy

Stock Market

Former Fox News host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tucker-carlson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a> announced Tuesday afternoon that he is launching a new show that will be hosted on Twitter.
Carlson&#8217;s announcement comes after reports surfaced in recent days that he had spoken with Twitter CEO Elon Musk about working together.
Carlson made the announcement in a video posted on Twitter where he mentioned that there were not many free speech platforms left in the world.
&#8220;The last big one remaining in the world, the only one is Twitter, where we are now,&#8221; Carlson said. &#8220;Twitter has long served as the place where our national conversation incubates and develops. Twitter is not a partisan site; everybody&#8217;s allowed here. And we think that&#8217;s a good thing.&#8221;
&#8220;And yet, for the most part, the news that you see analyzed on Twitter comes from media organizations that are themselves thinly disguised propaganda outlets,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;You see it on cable news, you talk about it on Twitter. The result may feel like a debate, but actually the gatekeepers are still in charge. We think that&#8217;s a bad system. We know exactly how it works, and we&#8217;re sick of it.&#8221;
&#8220;Starting soon, we&#8217;ll be bringing a new version of the show we&#8217;ve been doing for the last six and a half years to Twitter,&#8221; he concluded. &#8220;We&#8217;ll be bringing some other things too, which we&#8217;ll tell you about. But for now, we&#8217;re just grateful to be here. Free speech is the main right that you have, without it, you have no others. See you soon.&#8221;
WATCH:
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We’re back. <a href="https://t.co/sG5t9gr60O">pic.twitter.com/sG5t9gr60O</a>
&mdash; Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) <a href="https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1656037032538390530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In the clip, Carlson says that the media often tells things that are true but misleads audiences by withholding information that changes the entire story.
&#8220;If I tell you that a man has been unjustly arrested for armed robbery that is not strictly speaking a lie, he may have been framed at this point, there&#8217;s been no trial, so no one can really say,&#8221; Carlson said. &#8220;But if I don&#8217;t mention the fact that the same man has been arrested for the same crime six times before, am I really informing you? No, I&#8217;m not. I&#8217;m misleading you.&#8221;
News of Carlson&#8217;s show comes after Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/07/fox-news-tucker-carlson">reported</a> at the start of the week that Carlson&#8217;s allies were prepared to start attacking Fox News if the network did not let him out of his contract, which would pay him $20 million a year to keep him on the sidelines until January 2025.
Carlson’s high-profile attorney Bryan Freedman, who was also retained by recently fired CNN co-host Don Lemon, said in a statement: “The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous.”
The report said that Carlson has been busy “plotting a media empire of his own” after being sidelined by Fox News, but is unable to do anything unless they let him out of his contract.
Carlson’s move to Twitter follows Daily Wire host Matt Walsh’s move to the platform following YouTube censorship.

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Tucker Carlson Announces New Show

Tucker Carlson has reportedly had a conversation with Twitter CEO Elon Musk about working together after Fox News took him off the air late last month.
The news was contained in an Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/07/fox-news-tucker-carlson">report</a> about Carlson getting closer to allowing his top allies to start going after Fox News for keeping him locked in his contract, which would pay him $20 million a year to keep him on the sidelines until January 2025.
Carlson&#8217;s high-profile attorney Bryan Freedman, who was also retained by recently fired CNN co-host Don Lemon, said in a statement: &#8220;The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous.&#8221;
The report said that Carlson has been busy &#8220;plotting a media empire of his own&#8221; after being sidelined by Fox News but is unable to do anything unless they let him out of his contract.
Sources close to Carlson said he was considering building a direct-to-consumer subscription-based media company that would allow him to speak directly to his audience the same way that former Fox News host Bill O&#8217;Reilly does.
Musk and Carlson reportedly discussed working together, but no specifics were given. The report said that platforms like Newsmax and Rumble had offered to give Carlson more money than he was making at Fox News.
The report said that Carlson&#8217;s top allies have been pressing him to allow them to attack Fox News, but he has so far urged them not to and prefers to deal with the matter privately and professionally. The Daily Wire can confirm this detail based on conversations with multiple people close to Carlson.
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Still, sources told Axios that Carlson wants his freedom and is preparing to &#8220;unleash&#8221; his allies to attack the network: &#8220;His team is preparing for war.&#8221;
After being taken off the air, Carlson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlson-hints-at-future-in-new-statement-after-ouster-from-fox-news">released a statement</a> hinting that he wanted to focus on covering significant issues often not discussed on television news.
“The undeniably big topics, the ones that will define our future, get virtually no discussion at all: war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, natural resources,” he said. “When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues? It’s been a long time. Debates like that are not permitted in American media. Both political parties and their donors have reached consensus on what benefits them, and they actively collude to shut down any conversation about it.”
“When honest people say what’s true, calmly and without embarrassment, they become powerful,” he added. “At the same time, the liars who’ve been trying to silence them shrink and they become weaker. That’s the iron law of the universe. True things prevail. Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren’t many places left, but there are some and that’s enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope.”
He signed off his message by saying, “See you soon.”

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Tucker Carlson And Elon Musk Discuss Working Together As Carlson Plots New Path Forward In Media: Report

Fox News host <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greg-gutfeld-mocks-democrats-hyperbolic-smears-against-republicans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Greg Gutfeld</a> continued to defend his former coworker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlson-calls-for-conservative-paradigm-shift-in-dealing-with-leftist-evil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tucker Carlson</a> after multiple clips of the former host&#8217;s off-camera remarks were leaked this week.
The Fox News host took to Twitter on Thursday to respond to a new clip from Media Matters for America that showed Carlson engaging in what Gutfeld called &#8220;casual comments&#8221; between two people who work together. &#8220;Tucker Carlson asks makeup artist if &#8216;pillow fights ever break out&#8217; in the women&#8217;s bathroom in new behind-the-scenes video,&#8221; Media Matters tweeted along with a clip of the exchange.
&#8220;Imagine having to tell your parents that your job is narcing on the casual comments of other people while they, happily unaware, make a living,&#8221; Gutfeld snapped back. &#8220;Your parents would be so embarrassed and ashamed they&#8217;d rather tell their friends you died in a fire.&#8221;
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imagine having to tell your parents that your job is narcing on the casual comments of other people while they, happily unaware, make a living. Your parents would be so embarrassed and ashamed they&#39;d rather tell their friends you died in a fire. <a href="https://t.co/kpeBI1bnnu">https://t.co/kpeBI1bnnu</a>
&mdash; GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) <a href="https://twitter.com/greggutfeld/status/1654291568130400258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
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At the time of this publication, Gutfeld&#8217;s response has been viewed more than 2.5 million times.
Gutfeld hasn&#8217;t held back his thoughts on &#8220;hall monitor failures&#8221; like Media Matters and The New York Times who have been disseminating videos seemingly to damage the reputation of the popular <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greg-gutfeld-defends-tucker-blasts-hall-monitor-failures-desperate-to-destroy-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ex-Fox News host.</a>
&#8220;NEW FOXLEAKS: Media Matters obtained three more behind-the-scenes videos featuring former Fox host Tucker Carlson&#8217;s creepy on-set comments,&#8221; Media Matters senior fellow Matt Gertz tweeted.
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apparently everyone understands nonsense banter between segments except for hall monitor failures bitterly chronicling the lives of the far more successful <a href="https://t.co/HkwFTgIub6">https://t.co/HkwFTgIub6</a>
&mdash; GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) <a href="https://twitter.com/greggutfeld/status/1653540879259299845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Gutfeld replied, &#8220;Apparently everyone understands nonsense banter between segments except for hall monitor failures bitterly chronicling the lives of the far more successful.&#8221;
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Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly also slammed the leaked clips, saying they are clearly an orchestrated &#8220;destruction campaign.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Megyn Kelly on Why Fox News&#039; Orchestrated Campaign to Destroy Tucker Carlson is Failing" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mIwtTbxOGZw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;Fox News is suffering what could fairly be called a bloodbath at eight o&#8217;clock and now their entire primetime is suffering as a result of it as viewers&#8217; anger escalates to exponential levels in the wake of this unfair treatment of their number one star,&#8221; Kelly said during her Wednesday show.
&#8220;This is absurd. OK, this is absurd,&#8221; she claimed. &#8220;This is a destruction campaign and the media is going along with it without one thought for how they&#8217;re participating in what is an internal work dispute, allowing themselves to be used as tools of Irena Briganti who runs the Fox evil communications department and her bosses who are clearly allowing all of this.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greg-gutfeld-defends-tucker-blasts-hall-monitor-failures-desperate-to-destroy-him">Greg Gutfeld Defends Tucker, Blasts &#8216;Hall Monitor Failures&#8217; Desperate To Destroy Him</a>

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Greg Gutfeld Goes Viral As He Continues To Defend Tucker Carlson Against Leaked Clips

Greg Gutfeld Goes Viral As He Continues To Defend Former Coworker Tucker Carlson Against Leaked Clips

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