Russian State TV Boosts Tucker Carlson Interview on Syria: ‘Why Am I Required to Hate Assad?’

RT, formerly known as Russia Today, shared a clip of Tucker Carlson’s interview with far-left economist Jeffrey Sachs on Tuesday, highlighting a moment in which Sachs argues the CIA was behind Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s recent fall.

Tucker being featured on Russian-state-controlled media like RT is nothing new, as Carlson’s views on the Russian invasion of Ukraine have long been praised by the Kremlin, which played an integral role in holding Assad’s regime together over the years.

“Were Americans involved in the overthrow of Assad, last week?” Carlson asked Sachs in the clip shared by RT.

“Of course they were, because this has been an ongoing operation, whether they were involved in the final days, I don’t know. They were involved in this in the 13 years nonstop,” Sachs replied, adding:

Actually, let me tell you an interesting story, by the way. The war started in 2011. It was called the it, was portrayed as always, as the CIA does as a local uprising and the freedom fighters. And it was said this was Syrians protesting against Syria. That’s always how any CIA regime change operation works. There may also be local opposition, but the CIA is the, provides the armaments. It provides the flow of heavy weapons. It provides the financing. It provides the training, it provides the camps. It provides the political organization.

Sachs has long been a critic of U.S. power internationally. In 2022, Politico reported on Sachs’s effort to claim the U.S. was behind the pandemic.

“The latest effort by Sachs — a long-time advocate of dismantling American hegemony and embracing the rise of China — to put blame on U.S. labs has been circulated on Chinese social media, including by the Chinese embassy to France this week,” reported the outlet, noting the CCP’s use of his comments in their state-backed propaganda.

Also in the interview, Carlson repeated his talking point regarding whether or not he should oppose Assad. He noted that Americans are “required to hate Assad.”

“I’m speaking for myself. I don’t have strong feelings about Assad one way or the other. Apparently he’s protected the Christians, so I’m grateful for that as a Christian. But, I don’t– Why am I required to hate Assad? Tulsi Gabbard went and met with Assad. She’s been attacked ever since. Has anyone ever explained why Americans should hate Assad?” Carlson then asked.

“Because every regime change operation we ever do, we have to make sure that the opponent is the worst villain since Hitler or Hitler reincarnate,” Sachs replied.

“Some ophthalmologist from London, is a bloodthirsty dictator? I never I didn’t really…” Carlson replied.

Carlson’s interview with Sachs comes in the wake of Assad’s infamous prisons and torture chambers being emptied and the scale of his atrocities being revealed to the world.

Fox News’ Trey Yingst reported from inside the infamous Sednaya prison outside of Damascus following its liberation.

“To call Sednaya hell on Earth would not do it justice. The English language lacks the word to describe these unimaginable conditions. Crumbling concrete walls are hidden beyond large steel doors. Each space tells a gruesome story of its own,” Yingst reported. The AP estimated that over 150,000 political prisoners had been detained and tortured at Sednaya over the years. The Syrian civil war left over half a million people dead and created one of the largest refugee crises since World War II as Assad carpet-bombed his own cities and used chemical weapons against civilians.

Carlson’s interview with Sachs sparked angry condemnation on social media, including from many on the right. Elon Musk, however, shared the interview and wrote, “Very interesting interview.” Below are some of the reactions:

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