Lachlan Murdoch, executive chairman and CEO of Fox Corp., defended the comments of Tucker CarlsonTucker CarlsonGaetz was denied meeting with Trump: CNN Cancels Culture, Q-Anon and the Condition of the 21st Century: Random Reaction The Antifamation League calls for Tucker Carlson’s dismissal MORE this prompted the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to demand the removal of the cable network host, saying it had rejected an anti-Semitic theory during a recent interview.
“A full review of the guest interview indicates that Mr. Carlson denied and rejected the theory of replacement,” Murdoch wrote in a letter to the ADL, according to a post on the ADL website.
“As Mr. Carlson himself said during the guest interview,‘ white replacement theory? No, no, this is a question about voting rights, “Murdoch added.
A Fox Corp spokesman did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for the full text of Murdoch’s letter or questions about who conducted the internal review of Carlson’s comments or when.
The Fox Corp CEO was referring to statements Carlson made during a guest appearance on a Fox News program on Thursday, and not on his own prime-time program with the best score. In his statements, he stated that democratic support for immigration was intended to dilute the voting power of people already living in the United States.
ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and others criticized these comments as veiled references to the “Great Replacement” theory, which Greenblatt described in a tweet as “a white supremacist principle that the white race is in danger of the rising tide of non-whites. “
.@TuckerCarlson: The “replacement theory” is a white supremacist principle that says the white race is in danger from a rising tide of non-whites.
He is anti-Semitic, racist and toxic. He has reported the ideology of mass shooters in El Paso, Christchurch and Pittsburgh.
Tucker has to go. https://t.co/FSvgNfR1KO– Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) April 9, 2021
The group also wrote to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott, calling for Carlson’s removal the first time she did so, according to an ADL spokeswoman.
In the ADL post quoting Murdoch, Greenblatt praised Fox Corp. CEO and his father, Rupert Murdoch, for his past support of the ADL, but said he did not absolve them of responsibility for the statements. of Carlson.
“I thank you for your words of respect to ADL. While I appreciate the feeling that you and your father continue to support the ADL mission, support the adoption of Mr. Carlson’s “great theory of replacement” contrasts directly with this mission, “Greenblatt wrote.
“As you pointed out in your letter, ADL honored your father more than a decade ago, but let me make it clear that today we would not and that it does not exempt you, him, the network or his council from moral failure to take action against Mr. Carlson. ”
Greenblatt added that given Lachlan’s defense of Carlson, it is clear that whoever reviewed the host’s comments completely misunderstood why they were so criticized.
“While your response refers to a‘ complete review ’of the interview, it seems that the reviewers missed the essential point here,” Greenblatt wrote. “Substitution theory is a concept that is discussed almost daily in online forums that are teeming with anti-Semitism and racism.”
“I don’t know which experts you consulted in your review, but as your letter rightly pointed out, we are the experts,” Greenblatt added.
On Monday, Carlson directly addressed the reaction to his comments on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
“But why all the rage? If someone says you think he’s wrong, is that your first instinct to hurt him? Probably not, ”Carlson said.
“If you feel something you think is wrong, try to correct it. But getting the facts right is hardly the goal of this exercise. The point is to prevent unauthorized conversations from starting in the first place, ”he added.
“Demographic change is the key to the Democratic Party’s political ambitions,” Carlson said before entering a long monologue that offered evidence of his theory that “to gain and maintain power, Democrats plan to change the population of the Democratic Party. country “.