According to Newsweek:
On Monday, former Republican and ex-congressman Joe Walsh fabricated a Tucker Carlson quote on Twitter. It immediately caught the attention of Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans who hope to see the Fox News host canceled.
Walsh attributed the following statement to Carlson: “What if these bodies of tortured, dead civilians were staged? What if they’re fake? What if the Ukrainian military killed them and then blamed Russia? I’m not saying any of this is true, I’m just asking the questions. Why can’t we ask these questions?”
The quote repeating Russia’s propaganda and denial of war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine, instantly went viral. On Reddit, a screenshot of Walsh’s post has nearly 60,000 upvotes with thousands of comments decrying what users believe are Carlson’s traitorous views. But Twitter is where the fake quote found currency among powerful and influential figures close to the Democratic Party.
The list of those who spread the fake quote is a who’s who of Democratic boosters, politicians, celebrities and even journalists. It includes former Trump impeachment prosecutor Daniel Goldman, MSNBC host Joy-Ann Reid, Daily Beast columnist Wajahat Ali and Obama White House deputy chief of staff Alyssa Mastromonaco.
Numerous media figures appeared to take the fake quote at face value. “It should trouble every American that the right wing and Trump are in absolute sync (and have been) with Putin,” tweeted Luke Zaleski, legal affairs editor and fact-checker at global media company Condé Nast, which owns The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, GQ, Teen Vogue and other publications. “Their talking points and anti-democratic actions and agendas are antagonistic to the rule of law and ongoing–and have led to two impeachments and an attack on congress”
Richard Ojeda, spokesman for No Dem Left Behind—a PAC which helps elect Democratic candidates in rural areas—tweeted: “I understand freedom of speech but in WWII they shaved the heads of women who crawled in bed with the enemy. I think it’s time to pull out the clippers. PISS ON TUCKER CARLSON!”
