![ESZTERGOM, HUNGARY - AUGUST 07: Tucker Carlson speaks during the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) Feszt on August 7, 2021 in Esztergom, Hungary. The multiday political event was organized by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), a privately managed foundation that recently received more than $1.7 billion in government money and assets. The leader of its main board, Balazs Orban, who is also a state secretary in the prime minister's office, said MCC's priority is promoting "patriotism" among the next generation of Hungary's leaders. (Photo by Janos Kummer/Getty Images) Guy Verhofstadt, Brexit negotiator for the European Parliament, speaks during the State of the Union address at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017. In a sign of the EUs renewed confidence, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will push for free-trade pacts with Australia and New Zealand at a time when the U.S. is turning inward, along with a bloc-wide system for screening foreign takeovers and deeper euro-area banking integration. Photographer: Jasper Juinen/Bloomberg via Getty Images ESZTERGOM, HUNGARY - AUGUST 07: Tucker Carlson speaks during the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) Feszt on August 7, 2021 in Esztergom, Hungary. The multiday political event was organized by the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), a privately managed foundation that recently received more than $1.7 billion in government money and assets. …](https://media.breitbart.com/media/2024/02/GettyImages-1984375225-1-1-640x480.jpg)
European Union lawmakers have called for Brussels to impose sanctions on American journalist Tucker Carlson for interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Despite the longstanding tradition of American journalists interviewing dictators of all stripes, including a leader of the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, top Eurocrat Guy Verhofstadt has called for Tucker Carlson to face EU sanctions for sitting down with the Russian strongman.
The former Belgian Prime Minister and strong Brexit opponent, who currently serves in the European Parliament, told Newsweek: “As Putin is a war criminal and the EU sanctions all who assist him in that effort, it seems logical that the External Action Service examine his case as well.”
The process for the EU to sanction an individual is typically a lengthy one, with evidence first needing to be presented to its External Action Service — the bloc’s diplomatic arm, run by Spanish socialist Josep Borrell — before being put to the European Council for a final decision.
However, before the interview with Putin, which the Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday, Verhofstadt also suggested that Carlson could face being banned from entering the EU, which could feasibly be imposed sooner, writing on Monday: “Tucker Carlson is surely on the path to being labelled a propagandist for the Russian regime. If he enables disinformation for Putin, the EU should explore a travel ban!”
Ukraine’s controversial American transgender sometimes-“spokesperson” Sarah Ashton-Cirillo has accused Tucker Carlson of being the “Kremlin’s favourite court eunuch” and an “enemy of humanity,” apparently placing a target on the head of Carlson.https://t.co/yT3xjIPEVC
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 6, 2024
Although the European Union, the United States and NATO are not officially at war with Russia, some, including former U.S. Congressmen Adam Kinzinger have accused Carlson of being a “traitor” for interviewing Putin. Verhofstadt, for his part, branded Carlson “an enemy of everything the US stands for” and a “mouthpiece” for the Kremlin.
Verhofstadt is not alone among Eurocrats calling for Carlson to face sanctions, with former Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, who now serves in the European Parliament telling Newsweek: “Carlson wants to give a platform to someone accused of crimes of genocide—this is wrong. If Putin has something to say he needs to say it in front of the ICC. At the same time, Carlson is not being a real journalist since he has clearly expressed his sympathy for the Russian regime and Putin and has constantly disparaged Ukraine, the victim of Russian aggression.
“So, for such propaganda for a criminal regime, you can end up on the list of sanctions. This concerns primarily travel ban to EU countries.”
Carlson has asserted that he did not interview Putin to serve the interests of Russia but rather to better inform the American public on the Ukraine war, which he claims has been shrouded in “propaganda” by Western legacy media outlets.
The suggestion that the EU could impose sanctions on an American journalist for merely performing the basic duties of a journalist has drawn criticism.
Tesla and X chief Elon Musk said of the proposed sanctions: “One may agree with Tucker or not, but he is a major American journalist and such an action would greatly offend the American public.”
Russia Says Tucker Carlson Interview of Vladimir Putin Has Taken Placehttps://t.co/Dw5nEgJmZ0
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 7, 2024