Dominion Voting Systems’ defamation lawsuit against Fox News hasn’t done Tucker Carlson any favors. Revelations from the case suggest Fox News promoted bogus election claims they knew to be false, but the details surrounding the prime-time host have been especially damaging, including a text message in which Carlson appeared to prioritize News Corp’s stock price over accuracy.
But as it turns out, Dominion Voting Systems isn’t alone in accusing the television personality of having made “defamatory” statements in the wake of the 2020 elections. NBC News reported:
An Arizona man at the center of a right-wing conspiracy theory about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack on Thursday called on Fox News host Tucker Carlson to publicly retract his “false and defamatory statements” alleging that he was secretly working with the federal government during the attack. Ray Epps became a target of far-right allegations that claimed he was working with the federal government and sought to provoke violence during the Capitol attack.
If you’re unfamiliar with the conservative bubble too many Republicans live inside of, Ray Epps’ name might not ring a bell. But for much of the right, he’s a key figure in Jan. 6 conspiracy theories.
As we discussed early last year, in some conservative circles, there’s a conspiracy theory that the FBI was somehow responsible, at least in part, for the attack on the Capitol, and a pro-Trump protester — Epps — was part of the scheme, working with federal law enforcement and helping direct the violence. The conspiracy theory has been considered, examined, and discredited.
A few too many Republicans peddled it anyway, including Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Then-Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of Republicans who served on the Jan. 6 committee, took the conspiracy theory apart last year, concluding, “Sorry, crazies, it ain’t true.” Epps himself testified under oath to the House select panel, explaining that the unhinged…
Read the full article here
