Staff Reports
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has recently been vocal in his opposition to Fox News host Tucker Carlson airing video footage of the Capitol riot on January 6th. Schumer has demanded that Fox News stop Carlson from airing any further footage, and has even gone as far as to call out the network for their coverage of former President Donald Trump’s attempts to contest the 2020 election results.
However, it appears that Schumer’s outrage may be misguided. It was recently revealed that Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy of California had provided Carlson with over 41,000 hours of video footage of the Capitol riot, which is significantly more than the 14,000 hours previously reported. Furthermore, Carlson aired video of Capitol Police officers escorting a protestor, as well as video of Republican Senator John Hawley of Missouri being escorted with other members of Congress from the Capitol.
Schumer Demands Fox News Stop Tucker Carlson From Releasing Further Jan. 6 Footage https://t.co/FwfGGIxo9X
— US Burning (@UsBurning) March 7, 2023
Schumer’s criticism of Carlson and Fox News is hypocritical, as Democrats have also attempted to object to the results of past elections. In 2005, Democrats forced votes in the House and Senate to uphold an objection to Ohio’s electoral votes in the 2004 election. Furthermore, House Democrats attempted to object to the results of the 2000 and 2016 elections in 2001 and 2017 respectively, but did not have the support of a Senator.
It is clear that Schumer’s criticism of Fox News and Carlson is nothing more than a partisan attack. His outrage is not rooted in any real concern for democracy or truth, but rather in his desire to silence anyone who disagrees with his political views. Schumer’s attempt to censor Carlson and Fox News is an affront to free speech and a blatant disregard for the facts. It is a dangerous precedent that should not be tolerated.
