CNN's Brian Stelter asked whether Fox News host Tucker Carlson has become "the new Alex Jones" after the pundit accused Joe Biden and the NSA of spying on him in an effort to have him taken off the air.
Carlson made the claim last week that he was being targeted by the NSA in a politically motivated effort to have his show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, removed from Fox News. He based his claims on an anonymous whistleblower.
He said the information given to him "could only come directly from my texts and emails."
"There's no other possible source for that information, period," Carlson said. "The Biden administration is spying on us. We have confirmed that."
The NSA denied the allegation in a tweet, saying it only targets "foreign" individuals, but Carlson has remained adamant that the spy organisation is monitoring him.
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Stelter, a CNN host often at odds with Carlson and other Fox News personalities like Sean Hannity, said the host is quickly becoming the next Alex Jones.
"Carlson is a conspiracy-monger, but he's far from the first," Stelter said. "Carlson is sounding more and more like InfoWars host and notorious conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones. You can hear the similarities."
The CNN host then played a set of clips that paired the rantings of Jones – a well-known conspiracy theorist known for his outlandish ravings – against those of Carlson.
The clips include both men questioning the safety of the coronavirus vaccine and both men claiming – without evidence – that the FBI infiltrated Donald Trump's rally on 6 January and incited the Capitol riot.
Stelter said the montage "speaks for itself," dubbing Carlson "the new Alex Jones."
The CNN host's colleague, Oliver Darcy, agreed with the comparison, saying "if you watch Tucker Carlson's programme and you watch Alex Jones' programme, they might differ a little bit in antics and the way they deliver the message, but that message to viewers is consistent and its pretty identical."
"I remember when the Republican Party and Fox News mocked Alex Jones and said that guy is crazy," Mr Darcy said. "But now, Fox's face is effectively Alex Jones. The de facto leader of the Republican Party is touting the same stuff that Jones touts on his show.”
