Could a phone conversation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch have resulted in the firing of Tucker Carlson?
Zelenskyy reportedly conveyed his displeasure with Carlson’s negative coverage of Ukraine in March. During the call, he and Murdoch also talked about the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion and the death of a Fox News employee in Ukraine.
It has been reported that Zelenskyy had another conversation with Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch a few weeks prior to the end of Carlson’s show.
Whether the Murdochs sidelined Carlson because of Zelenskyy’s complaints remains unclear. It is known that other Ukrainian officials made their dissatisfaction with the host clear to network executives.
The news website Semafor continues:
The Murdoch’s have not revealed which of Carlson’s many provocations triggered his firing, and there’s no particular suggestion that Zelenskyy — whom Carlson had called a “dictator” — delivered the final blow.
But Carlson’s firing will immediately relieve pressure on key Capitol Hill Ukraine supporters whom Carlson had criticized on air — and sometimes pressed behind the scenes to change their positions on the war.
Support for providing Ukraine with weapons and financial assistance has decreased among Republicans as the fighting drags on. Like the GOP establishment, Murdoch is more supportive of the government in Kyiv than the party base.
Some congressional Republicans, who don’t share Carlson’s views on Ukraine, have expressed relief that he’s gone.
“There have been some that have argued that he was setting foreign policy for the Republican Party, which I find to be bizarre. Certainly not for me,” Sen. Mitt Romney told the Hill. “To the primary [Republican] voter, the active participant, the grassroot voter, he’s a person they listen to and has a big influence.”