Democrats sure have a habit of accusing those they disagree with of conspiring with Russia, especially lately. That's not just the case with lawmakers from the other side of the aisle, though White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki did accuse Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) of "parroting Russian talking points" for his position on Ukraine entering NATO. It extends to journalists as well. A recent and chilling example includes Tucker Carlson, who on his Friday night show of "Tucker Carlson Tonight" revealed that Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) accused his program of having ties to Russia.
"At an earlier age, this is the point when Matt Lee would've gone to the podium and punched him right in the face beer there was a time in this country when calling a man disloyal was a grave and serious charge. You cannot let that stand," Carlson pointed out. He was referring to an exchange between the AP reporter and Ned Price, the State Department spokesperson, during which Price was less than forthcoming with his evidence that Russia is conducting a "fabricated attack" against Ukraine.
Carlson then revealed that Cooper on Wednesday asked during a closed-door briefing in Congress if the show has ties to Russia. "We are not tied to Russia, of course. It's a cable television program. He knows that. But that is not the point. We have criticized the Biden administration's Ukraine policy. So in retaliation for that, Jim Cooper has asked the Intel agencies to dig up dirt on us," Carlson alleged.
The host also referenced a scandal involving the National Security Agency (NSA), when a whistleblower came forward last summer to reveal that the agency spied on Carlson, as was later confirmed.
"To be clear, that is not allowed. It is illegal to use the U.S. Government to settle partisan scores or to silent opposition journalists. It is also, by the way, illegal to secretly monitor their electronic communication. We are not speculating about it. The NSA admitted that," Carlson also reminded.
Rep. Cooper, who Carslon said "admitted what he did today when we asked him," was "too cowardly to come on tonight to explain how he could justify that," according to the host, who frequently invites and has on guests from across the aisle to explain their point of view.
"This is scary behavior. It is also revealing. After a full year of governing, all the Biden administration could muster when challenged are challenged our ad hominem attacks and more spine from the Intel agents. Let's put the Intel agencies on. What they can't do is explain themselves. They don't even try," Carlson also said towards the beginning of his program.
Cooper's office, in a statement that was obtained by The Washington Examiner and shared by Daniel Chaitin, mentioned that the congressman was marking the first anniversary of his wife's death, who passed due to Alzheimer's. The statement went on to note that the congressman "has every right to ask whatever questions he thinks are important to strengthening American security during confidential House Intelligence Committee hearings."
Here's the statement from Cooper's office obtained by Tucker Carlson's show pic.twitter.com/uY8GW59eK9
— Daniel Chaitin (@danielchaitin7) February 5, 2022
It was bad enough that the NSA was spying on Carlson. It's not the kind of situation where there should be a "here we go again" moment.
It's one thing for the White House to go after members across the aisle; what they did to Hawley is egregious, but he at least took it in stride, as did his staff. The Democratic Party has been accusing their detractors of Russian collusion for years now. When it amounts to spying on journalists and television hosts and tossing around such accusations, there's even further cause for concern with how President Joe Biden and his handlers treat the free press, as if there weren't enough reasons to be frustrated with a less than transparent administration.