“Painting?”
On Tuesday’s CNN This Morning, host Audie Cornish opened a discussion of Tucker Carlson by saying: “For months, Republicans have been painting him as antisemitic.”
Cornish failed to mention Carlson’s:
Friendly interview with avowed Holocaust denier and Hitler fan Nick Fuentes.
Praise for Holocaust revisionist Darryl Cooper asmaybe “the best and most honest popular historian in the United States.”
Comments embracing the classic blood libel holding Jews responsible for the death of Jesus.
Description of Jewish Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “sweaty, rat-like, and shifty.”
There’s more antisemitic evidence on Tucker Carlson than paint in a Sherwin-Williams store—but Cornish presented the criticism as mere partisan brushwork.
Cornish made the claim during a Group Chat discussion that featured speculation about Carlson potentially running for president in 2028.
The segment turned to Carlson distancing himself from the Republican party over its support for Israel, with Carlson declaring he could not support a party “not loyal to the United States” — yet another accusation with antisemitic overtones.
Panelists repeatedly tied the moment to presidential positioning for 2028, with strategists noting that both Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene appear to be “testing the grounds of running.”
Democrat strategist Chuck Rocha claimed that in a primary with multiple candidates, Carlson could win with just 30% of the vote–and “Tucker Carlson knows that.”
Problem for Carlson: Given that he has announced his departure from the Republican party, it’s hard to see how he could enter a GOP primary—unless he does so on the platform of “Make the GOP American Again.”
Cornish’s delicate framing of Republicans “painting” Carlson as antisemitic was a Tom Sawyer-worthy whitewash. The facts paint a different story.In contrast with Cornish’s reticence, Ted Cruz, in a clip played during the segment, didn’t hesitate to decry the rise of antisemitism on the right, calling Carlson “the single most dangerous demagogue in this country.”
Note: Ashley Davis, a panel regular presented as a Republican, called Democrat Josh Shapiro “my very good friend.” Last time Ashley said the same about a conservative?
Here’s the transcript.
Read Full Article: https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/mark-finkelstein/2026/06/23/cnns-audie-cornish-republicans-are-painting-tucker-carlson
