Cuomo to Tucker Carlson: You 'cherry-picked' Jan. 6 video
NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo and ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson clashed over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack in Carlson's first national television appearance since his exit from Fox last year.
Cuomo confronted Carlson over his views of the insurrection and criticized his "cherry-picked" use of security footage from the Capitol that day that was exclusively released to him by then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
"Your approach, and the approach of other people — 'Hey this was just, you know, these guys were in the wrong place, the wrong way, but that’s all it was.' I don’t agree with that," Cuomo said. "I think it was a riot. And I think they were way over the line, and I think they were motivated to go over the line in part by the resident of the United States."
Carlson in reply said that "parts of it obviously were a riot" but said there is a lack of transparency around the number of federal agents in the crowd that day. The FBI has categorically denied any involvement in sparking the attack.
Cuomo agreed that transparency is the "key to understanding."
"[Transparency] is the opposite to what we have, and there are thousands of hours of tape and the release of which will not jeopardize the security in the Capitol," Carlson said.
"You cherry-picked that tape by the way," Cuomo hit back. Carlson said he "aired what they sent me."
The wide-ranging, one-on-one conversation between the two longtime media figures will air Monday at 8 p.m.
Carlson was ousted from Fox last spring shortly after the network agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to settle a defamation case in connection with former President Trump's false claims of 2020 election fraud.
Cuomo was fired by CNN in December 2021 after revelations about his involvement in the harassment case against his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). He has since joined NewsNation, a cable news channel that, like The Hill, is owned by Nexstar Media Group.
Their conversation is expected to touch on Carlson’s departure from Fox, recent criticism for his interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Jan. 6, "among other topics,” NewsNation said in a press release.
Dominick Mastrangelo contributed.