Lynching the Deplorables
The Chris Hedges ReportMar 05, 2023
Fox News Host Tucker Carlson has defended his commentary accompanying newly-released footage of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, arguing that they “contradicted lies told by the Democratic Party” and anti-Trump Republicans.
On Monday, he released previously unseen footage showing Jacob Chansley, a Navy veteran commonly known as “QAnon Shaman," being escorted by police through the Capitol building. Carlson argued that this and other footage proved most people were peaceful and non-violent.
It’s true that some of the Capitol rioters committed violent crimes and many probably hold questionable views. However, there has been substantial over-prosecution and mistreatment of many. The courts are being used for politically motivated retribution, something which has been done – albeit more severely — against anti-war activists, left-wingers, reformers, and entirely innocent Muslims post-9/11. If we're not careful, many who are championing the current mistreatment of Jan. 6 defendants will regret it tomorrow when the same state institutions are turned upon them.
What happened on Jan. 6, 2021, was a violent riot, and Tucker Carlson, with the help of Kevin McCarthy, is dangerously fuelling right-wing conspiracy theories. Carlson is cherry-picking footage to show the overall events as “peaceful” but they are lacking in context. Even McCarthy himself called the attack on the Capitol undemocratic, un-American, and criminal in the days immediately following Jan. 6. However, he appears to be trying to have his cake and eat it too, as he has only given Fox News access to the 40K hours of Capitol Hill footage thus far.