The most prominent voice against U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war has been silenced, and new revelations exposed a startling link. According to Semafor, both Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan had recent conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Just weeks before Tucker Carlson’s shocking forced departure from Fox News, Zelenskyy held a call with Fox Corporation’s Chair and News Corp. Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch. The two discussed the war and the anniversary of the deaths of two Fox News journalists in the country.
Another call was made on March 15 with Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Corporation Lachlan Murdoch.
Zelenskyy confirmed this exchange during a national broadcast.
The pair of conversations came just weeks before the network’s biggest star was shown the door. There was perhaps no louder opponent on the national stage of the U.S. continuing to pour billions into Kyiv’s coffers than Carlson.
Fox News’ Murdochs held phone conversations with Zelensky ahead of Tucker Carlson ouster: reporthttps://t.co/z180JrnxHY
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) May 1, 2023
The Murdochs have yet to disclose the specific transgression that directly led to Carlson’s departure. It has also not been suggested that Carlson’s well-documented opposition to American support for Ukraine was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
However, it is clear that the former Fox host, who once referred to Zelenskyy as a “dictator,” no longer has the same platform to oppose U.S. involvement.
The Semafor report said, “Senior Ukrainian officials had made their objections to Carlson’s coverage known to Fox executives, but Zelenskyy did not raise it on the calls with the Murdochs.” The outlet attributed the information to a person with knowledge of the details of the calls.
Semafor noted that other outlets such as the New York Post and Wall Street Journal have condemned Republicans who are critical of U.S. assistance. It observed that “moderate” GOP members such as Mitt Romney (R-UT) expressed their “relief” at Carlson’s exit.
The Washington Post also reported on possible friction within Fox News over Carlson’s stance. The paper said the elder Murdoch was “disturbed” by the host’s steady criticism of Ukraine.
The paper said that Carlson once displayed a graphic referring to Zelenskyy as a “Ukrainian pimp.”
