‘CIA read my texts’: Tucker Carlson says he may face foreign agent charge over Iran contacts

Tucker Carlson said the US government may bring criminal charges against him under a foreign agent law, claiming intelligence officials read his text messages before the war with Iran.

In a video message posted on X, Carlson said the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had prepared a criminal referral to the United States Department of Justice after reviewing his messages.

When you discover the CIA has been reading your texts in order to frame you for a crime.pic.twitter.com/XgoluHw8EG
“The CIA is preparing some kind of criminal referral against me, a crime report to the Department of Justice, on the basis of a supposed crime I committed,” Carlson said in the video.

Tucker Carlson is an American television commentator and political host who was previously a leading presenter on Fox News.

He later launched his own programmes and videos on social media platform X.

Carlson is known for his commentary on US politics, foreign policy and media issues.

In recent weeks, he has criticised the United States and Israel over strikes on Iran, including the military operation that killed Iran’s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

He said the alleged offence was speaking to people in Iran before the conflict began.

“What’s that crime?

Well, talking to people in Iran before the war.

They read my texts,” he said.

Carlson said the possible charge was linked to the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a US law that requires people working on behalf of foreign governments in political activities to register with the Justice Department.

He rejected the claim that he acted as a foreign agent.

“I’m not an agent of a foreign power,” Carlson said.

“I have only one loyalty and that’s the United States and have never acted against it.”
Carlson also said he had never accepted money from a foreign government.

“I’ve never taken money from a foreign power.

Don’t need it, don’t want it,” he said.

He added that as an American citizen he had the right to speak to people in other countries.

“Legally, I think the case is ludicrous, and I doubt it’ll even become a case,” Carlson said.

Carlson also suggested some intelligence officials may be targeting him because of his views on Israel and the war with Iran.

“Some people are mad at me for my views about Israel and they have some latitude,” he said.

He also said intelligence agencies sometimes pass complaints to law enforcement to obtain surveillance warrants.

“One of the reasons they pass on criminal complaints in effect to law enforcement is to justify warrants for spying,” Carlson said.

US PresidentDonald Trumphas also criticised Carlson in recent weeks over his comments on the conflict.

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