The White House rebuked Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian president’s behavior is well known.
“It should be very obvious to everybody what Mr. Putin has done in the war in Ukraine, and the completely bogus and ridiculous reasons for which he tried to justify it,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday.
“I don’t think we need another interview with Vladimir Putin to understand his brutality,” Kirby added.
Carlson, a former Fox News pundit, announced he would interview the Russian president on Tuesday, contending that Americans have a right to know as much as they can about war involving taxpayer dollars.
“It’s our job,” Carlson said in a video posted to X. “We’re in journalism. Our duty is to inform people. Two years into a war that’s reshaping the entire world, most Americans are not informed. They have no real idea what’s happening in this region.”
Carlson also accused the Biden administration of opposing and even trying to hinder his attempts to interview Putin.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre strongly denied those accusations when asked about them on Tuesday.
“It’s a ridiculous premise and a ridiculous statement that was made about this administration,” Jean-Pierre said. “I just want to be very, very clear. It’s just ridiculous.”
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A reporter also asked Kirby if he was concerned about disinformation that could emerge from the interview, but the White House spokesman declined to weigh in.
“I won’t get ahead of an interview that hasn’t happened yet,” he said.