House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did not immediately explain why in the world he agreed to give Fox News’ Tucker Carlson exclusive access to Jan. 6 security footage, but in time, the California Republican shed some light on his perspective.
In comments to The New York Times a few weeks ago, McCarthy tried to justify his deal with the controversial television personality by saying, “I promised.” The GOP leader appeared to be referring to post-election negotiations he had with his own members, and the side deals McCarthy felt the need to strike in order to get the speaker’s gavel.
But did he think through what would happen after making, and apparently keeping, the promise? The Washington Post’s Paul Waldman made a good point this week:
Certain political leaders inspire grudging respect or even fear from their opponents, but let’s face it: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is not among them. His latest political gambit, a ham-handed attempt to rewrite the history of the Capitol insurrection in collaboration with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, was not just a spectacular faceplant. It turned out to be a service to all of us.
We’ll probably never know what the House speaker expected to happen after giving Carlson exclusive access, or whether McCarthy expected anything at all. But we now know exactly what happened: After the Republican congressman handed the Fox host matches and lighter fluid, Carlson set a fire that was widely condemned by Democrats, Republicans and law enforcement, all while being discredited through independent analysis.
At the same time, the gambit put coverage of the Jan. 6 attack back on front pages — reminding the public anew about the pro-Trump insurrectionist violence — which didn’t do the GOP any favors, all while doing fresh damage to the reputation of a cable outlet Republicans rely on.
Did McCarthy know all of this would happen? Perhaps not. But should he have known this would happen? A little foresight should’ve made this…
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