ICYMI: Update on the Tucker Carlson Fiasco
Did the CIA really intercept Tucker Carlson's text messages? Are they really preparing a criminal referral? There are only three plausible possibilities. None of them are good for Tucker.
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NOTE: I published this Monday on X and Facebook. It got hundreds of thousands of views within a few hours, so I thought I should probably share it with you also. — RDM
by Rod D. Martin
March 16, 2026
So in case you missed it, Tucker Carlson announced by video that he has been informed that the CIA is reading his text messages and is preparing a criminal referral against him.
Several things have happened since.
First, you must understand: the CIA would never reveal that it had illegally wiretapped anybody, because why would they? Aside from possible punishments for guilty parties, the bigger issue is that an illegal wiretap would kill their case: "fruit of the poison tree". So if they're actually preparing a criminal referral, they've dotted their i's well enough to get past a judge.
So how does the CIA surveil an American citizen? In most cases, they can’t, at least not legally. So if it was legal, they probably were NOT surveilling Tucker, but rather some foreign enemy with whom he was texting: he was talking to people he shouldn’t have been, about things he shouldn’t have said. That’s about the only way you get there from here.
So as I said, a couple things have happened since:
First, Buckley Carlson (Tucker's brother; and yes, for those of you from Rio Linda, also the name of his son, but no, his son didn’t post this) took to X to give a lengthy definition of treason and explain why whatever his brother did wasn't that.
Hmmm.…
Second, both Axios and the Administration have denied any of this is true. Which is...interesting. Both might have motives to deny Tucker's story (e.g., why would the Administration confirm a possible-but-future investigation the DOJ hasn't yet initiated?).
But what if they're telling the truth? Buckley's post suggests Tucker was telling the truth, at least so far as he knew it, and the family is mounting a defense. Glenn Greenwald certainly thinks that's true. But Glenn could be wrong, and Axios could be right.
So we now have three reasonably likely possibilities:
1. Tucker Carlson violated FARA, which is particularly ironic given how many times he's publicly called for FARA investigations of various people he dislikes for unsubstantiated allegations that they were on some foreign government's payroll. No one would more richly deserve this outcome than Tucker Carlson, IF this is what happened.
2. More sinister possibility: Tucker Carlson was aiding and abetting a foreign enemy (because that's a far more likely reason for the CIA to be involved, given the above-stated limitations). In this scenario, it is very likely that Donald Trump had Tucker to the Oval Office to feed him disinformation that then magically appeared in texts with Iranian leaders.
==> Just to be clear: that would NOT fall under "journalism". That would be espionage, and Tucker would (if that's what happened) be in danger of spending the rest of his life in prison.
3. More narcissistic possibility: Tucker made it all up, as Axios claims. In that case, this would mean that he made up a scary story about the Trump Administration to get clicks, cash, and standing as a victim persecuted by the "evil" Donald Trump, "bought-and-paid-for" agent of "the Jooos". He’d be the Jussie Smollett of the “Woke Right”.
And honestly, today, I think most of us would lean toward Aisle 3. It's pretty much classic him.
But that obscures the magnitude of what happened this weekend. Either Tucker Carlson lied or he didn't. If he didn't, then he was likely aiding and abetting a foreign enemy in time of war, or at least committing the same kind of FARA violation he's accused his enemies of for years. And if he did, he's just a charlatan.
Either way, Tucker Carlson blew a Titanic-sized hole in his own credibility this weekend. It seems to be an unforced error. And that's going to be very hard to overcome outside the realm of his own devotees.
Our tiny kitchen cabinet of political analytics warns that in standard totalitarian states, the persecution of former partners was carried out in a more cynical and pragmatic style.
The very idea of treason is highly productive for the subsequent persecution of the entire collective of DT partners—and likely their families as well.
From the perspective of an observer on the other side of the globe, the transition of party infighting into a bloody phase guarantees a fundamental renewal of the establishment.
Personally, I would prefer a lifelong sabbatical for Tucker Carlson, filled with fishing, grilling, and writing boring family prose in the style of late Hemingway. But that is most likely not going to happen.
Q to Grok: Did Tucker Carlson's father work for the CIA?
Response (that it cites Wikipedia as an authoritative source gives pause):
No, Tucker Carlson's father, Richard Warner "Dick" Carlson (a journalist, former director of Voice of America from 1986–1991, U.S. Ambassador to the Seychelles, and president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting), did not work directly for the CIA as an employee or official agent, based on public records and credible sources.
Dick Carlson's career involved significant U.S. government roles during the Cold War era, particularly leading Voice of America (VOA), a federally funded international broadcaster often aligned with U.S. foreign policy and propaganda efforts. VOA operated under the U.S. Information Agency (USIA), which had historical ties and coordination with intelligence activities (including occasional overlap or collaboration with the CIA for information dissemination abroad). However, VOA itself was not a CIA entity, and no verified evidence shows Dick Carlson held a formal CIA position.
Tucker Carlson has addressed this in interviews (e.g., on the Shawn Ryan Show), acknowledging that his father "worked in conjunction" with the CIA at points during his government service. Tucker has described his own childhood surroundings with many former CIA officers nearby and noted his father's government work involved such connections, but he has pushed back against claims of direct CIA employment. In one instance, Tucker reacted strongly to a student accusing his father of being "in the CIA," and sources note he has said he learned more details (potentially about informal ties) after his father's death in March 2025.
Claims of full CIA membership often appear in online speculation, conspiracy discussions, or criticisms (e.g., from figures like Nick Fuentes), but mainstream biographies (including Wikipedia entries on both Tucker and Dick Carlson) and reporting consistently state there is no public evidence of official CIA employment.In summary: Close proximity and likely coordination through government roles? Yes. Formal CIA employment? No.
26 web pages
Details on Voice of America history
Tucker Carlson's career overview