Tucker is Really Sorry
Serenity now.
Tucker Carlson wants you to know that’s he’s really, really sorry about Trump.
“You wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him. I mean, we’re implicated in this, for sure,” said Carlson to his brother on The Tucker Carlson Show.
“It’s not enough to say, ‘Well I changed my mind,’ or like, ‘Oh this is bad, I’m out.’ It’s like in very small ways, but in real ways, you and me and millions of people like us are the reason this is happening right now.”
Well, no sh*t.
Tucker’s beautiful friendship with Trump has crumbled over Iran — and the president he helped restore to power is calling Carlson “a Low IQ person,” “stupid,” and “highly overrated”.
All of this has caused the former Fox News host to relocate his conscience; and he now says it is time to wrestle with it. “You know, we’ll be tormented by it for a long time. I will be, and I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people, and it was not intentional. That’s all I’ll say.”
Not intentional? As if he had no inkling that he was peddling the world’s greatest bullshit artist? Tucker had no idea what he doing when he was shilling for the orange grotesquerie?
Once again, we need to ask the question I discussed with Tom Nichols on today’s “To the Contrary” Podcast: “What Did These People Think Would Happen?”
We recorded our conversation before Tucker’s mea culpa, but while discussing MAGA’s meltdown, both Tom and I had a flashback to a scene near the end of the miniseries Band of Brothers. The guys from Easy Company are shown riding in a convoy of trucks past a bedraggled column of German prisoners, some of whom are riding in carts drawn by horses.
Private David Webster is appalled by the scene and shouts at them:
Hey, you! That’s right, you stupid Kraut bastards! That’s right! Say hello to Ford, and General fuckin’ Motors! You stupid fascist pigs! Look at you! You have horses! What were you thinking? Dragging our asses half way around the world, interrupting our lives... For what, you ignorant, servile scum! What the fuck are we doing here?
What were you thinking?
Admittedly, the parallels are hardly exact, but as we look over the clusterfuck of Trump 2.0, we feel a kinship with Webster.
It’s not like people were not warned. Again and again.
It’s not as if it wasn’t obvious from the very beginning who Donald Trump was. They had to know it would come to something like this.
Now we have Trump. And a war in the Mideast. And measles outbreaks. And an administration packed with grifty chodes.
What did people like Tucker — and Megyn Kelly and Ann Coulter — think was going to happen?
Exit take: Tucker may be going down some dark rabbit holes of crazy these days, but it strains credulity waaaay beyond the breaking point for him to argue that he didn’t fully understand what he was selling his audiences in his Trump-friendly era.
While shills like Sean Hannity are dumb as a box of hair, Tucker is actually a smart guy. So, he knew what he was doing. At some level he knew exactly who and what Donald Trump was — and what it might mean if he ever got his hands back on the country.
And there are receipts, like this one from 2021: “Tucker Carlson said he hates Trump 'passionately', lawsuit reveals.”
The latest filings in the case suggest Mr Carlson expressed his dislike of the outgoing US president two days before Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol to derail lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s election win.
“We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights,” he wrote in a text sent on 4 January 2021. “I truly can’t wait.”
“I hate him passionately,” he added.
But then, of course, Tucker returned to the fold and became one of the loudest voices telling Americans to restore Trump to power.
So, yeah, “my bad,” doesn’t quite cover it.
Happy Tuesday.
**
A note to readers: A quick reminder, you are not the crazy ones. But this is the fight of our lifetimes, and the challenge of our generation.
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Another One Bites the Dust
First, it was Kristi Noem; then Pam Bondi; now Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. It’s almost as if there’s a pattern.
To be sure, all three women were uniquely unqualified and unsuited for their roles and Chavez-Remer was a magnet for scandal and sleaze.1
But somewhere she must be wondering: “AYFKM? Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth still have their jobs?”
Speaking of Kash: Politico wonders if he may be next in the Trump cabinet deadpool:
Those embroiled in scandal (Kristi Noem, Chavez-DeRemer), or distrusted by Trump’s base (Pam Bondi), have been first out the door, Dasha notes….
This may not bode well for Patel, who has issues on both these fronts. His reputation in MAGA world hasn’t recovered from his role in the initial handling of the Epstein files, while the list of colorful stories (and videos!) about his approach to the job of FBI chief gets longer every month. For his part, Patel insists it’s all media smears, and yesterday’s $250 million defamation suit against The Atlantic showed just how hard he’ll push back. And of course, the White House did tell The Atlantic that he’s doing a great job. (Worth remembering: Trump voiced support for both Noem and Bondi back in February, and for Chavez-DeRemer two weeks ago.)
BONUS: “Trump Overall Job Approval at 32%/ Trump Approval on Handling the Economy at 31%
So. Much. Winning.
Meanwhile, the House is Cleaning House (Maybe)
“House barrels toward rare double expulsion votes” Via Axios:
Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) are next in line this week for the House’s wave of expulsion votes.
Why it matters: The two Florida lawmakers could become the seventh and eighth members to ever be expelled from Congress.
Cherfilus-McCormick was found guilty by the Ethics Committee on a litany of charges, most notably for funneling $5 million in COVID relief funds to her congressional campaign. She has denied wrongdoing.
Mills faces allegations including financial misconduct, campaign finance violations and sexual misconduct, all of which he denies.
Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) resigned last week ahead of imminent expulsion votes over alleged sexual misconduct. Both denied the allegations.
Big Day in Viginia
Virginia will vote on a statewide referendum that would lead to the redrawing of the commonwealth’s U.S. House Districts. Democrats currently have a 6-to-5 advantage, but could balloon that edge to a 10-to-1 Democratic advantage if the referendum passes. Huge, huge upside for US House Democrats.
It’s not hyperbole to say control of the US House in 2027 could hinge on today’s vote. (The courts would need to uphold the new map too)
The importance of the vote is underscored by President Obama’s active campaigning on behalf of the referendum.
Meanwhile, in Michigan
This should be setting off red-alarms throughout the party. “UMich Regent Candidate Who Praised Hezbollah Wins Democratic Nomination.”
Dearborn, Mich. attorney Amir Makled, who shared since-deleted social media posts praising late Hezbollah terrorists as “martyr[s]” and urging Iran to “show no laxity” against Israel, won the Michigan Democratic Party’s nomination for the University of Michigan Board of Regents during the party’s convention Sunday.
Makled will appear on the November ballot alongside incumbent regent Paul Brown after defeating another incumbent, Jordan Acker, a supporter of Israel whose home was the target of antisemitic vandalism in 2024.
Today’s Podcast with Tom Nichols
Subscribers can listen to an ad-free version right here… or you can watch on YouTube / Listen (and subscribe) on Apple/ Spotify / iHeart / RSS Feed
Today’s Livestream With Alex Wagner
Tuesday dogs
My lap dog.
List Of Lori Chavez-DeRemer Scandals Amid Her Resignation As Labor Secretary | Times Now
During her tenure, Lori Chavez-DeRemer faced multiple ethics and sexual misconduct allegations. Here’s a list:
Inappropriate relationship: Chavez-DeRemer is accused of having an extramarital relationship with a subordinate member of her security detail.
Travel fund misuse: Chavez-DeRemer is accused of using taxpayer-funded travel for personal trips, including visits to Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada.
Fabricated work trips: Whistleblower complaints alleged that Chavez-DeRemer ordered her staff to create official work visits to justify her personal travel with family and friends.
Office misconduct: Chavez-DeRemer is accused of keeping a “stash” of alcohol in her office and consuming alcohol during work hours. Other Trump officials, FBI Director Kash Patel and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have faced similar accusations.
Toxic workplace culture: Staff reported a hostile environment, including pressure on employees to “pay attention” to her family members.
Inspector General probe: A formal complaint accused Chavez-DeRemer of abusing her position, leading to an official investigation by the Department of Labor.
Staff turmoil: Several senior officials, including Chief of Staff Jihun Han and Deputy Chief of Staff Rebecca Wright, were placed on administrative leave or told to resign. At least four staff members were fired or sidelined during the investigation.
Husband controversy: Her husband, Shawn DeRemer, was banned from Department of Labor headquarters after allegations of sexual assault involving staff, with at least one incident reportedly captured on video.
Family-related concerns: Messages cited in reports showed interactions involving her father and husband with staff, adding to concerns raised during the investigation. Texts published by the NYT show Chavez-DeRemer’s father, Richard Chavez, offering to show a young staffer around: “Hearing u/r in town. Wishing you would let me know. I could have made some excuses to get out and show u around. Please keep this private.”
Thank you for this Sykesotherapy session. Much needed.
Well said. Tucker isn’t sorry. He’s just decided that it no longer pays to be part of the Trump grift. Tucker is who he has always been: a phony lying opportunist who is comfortable with racism, anti-semitism, and authoritarianism so long as it plays well with the rubes. He is, has been, and always will be revolting.