Journalist Geraldo Rivera hopes one of his former Fox News colleagues’ influence diminishes.
During an appearance on ABC’s “The View,” Rivera was asked about former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and whether his influence is waning.
“I hope so,” Rivera responded.
He went on, “I think that [Carlson] is an excellent writer. I think that he was very charismatic in his presentation. He was number one for a reason, was a pretty good show. Then he drifted into this murky area — swampy area where, you know, these conspiracy theories and it’s not just Jan. 6, a whole bunch of different mucky kind of conspiracies.”
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GERALDO: “I will NEVER forgive Tucker for what he did about January 6th…” pic.twitter.com/KN4KIQINmX
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 13, 2023
Rivera added, “Fox is a tremendous platform. And once you lose that platform, you’re kind of screaming in the wilderness and competing with a lot of other people who have podcasts and so forth. So will he be the same character? I don’t know.”
He also pointed out there was speculation Carlson might be a presidential candidate for the Republican nomination before his show was canceled earlier this year.
“I don’t like to be unkind… Just as I would never vote for Donald Trump, I will never forgive Tucker for what he did about Jan. 6,” he added.
Carlson has promoted unfounded theories about the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and sought to present a different history of the day. In a three-part series named “Patriot Purge,” he claimed Antifa and federal agents were behind the riot, not supporters of former President Donald Trump.
He also argued it was a “false flag” operation to hurt the 45th president’s standing.
In March, he released previously unseen footage from Jan. 6 and described the event as “mostly peaceful chaos.”
Carlson also claimed those who participate in the riot were “orderly and meek.”
Rivera has made no secret about his distaste of Carlson’s claims about Jan. 6.
Shortly after news broke of his departure from Fox News, Rivera tweeted, “I don’t wish ill on anybody, but there is no doubt-as I said at the time-Tucker Carlson’s perverse Jan. 6 conspiracy theory was ‘bullsh*t.’
“Having lost the election, President Trump incited an insurrection that sought to undermine our Constitutional process,” he added.