Tucker Carlson’s name is back in the news again, but it’s not really his fault.
According to multiple reports, the FBI has raided the home of a Democratic lawmaker in connection with a series of leaks that attempted to put the former Fox News star in a bad light.
According to a report by the Tampa Bay Times on Friday, an investigation is underway that appears to be connected to a search conducted by the FBI at the residence of Tim Burke, a well-known media consultant and active figure on Twitter. Notably, Burke’s wife is Lynn Hurtak, a Democrat and member of the Tampa City Council.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Trezevant has sent a letter to Fox News, urging them to preserve any relevant information and records related to the ongoing investigation for a minimum of 90 days.
The letter indicates that investigators consider the network to be “one of the potential victim-witnesses” in connection with the alleged criminal conduct being investigated.
Last month, Carlson was unceremoniously removed from his position at Fox, and he has chosen not to publicly address the reasons behind this decision. While he remains under contract with Fox, the former prime-time host has alleged that his former employer breached their contract by leaking unfavorable information to the media.
The Hill reports further:
News of the FBI investigation comes weeks after a number of media outlets and watchdogs, including Vice and Media Matters for America, published previously unaired footage of Carlson and his program, some of which showed him making crude and offensive comments about women.
On May 5, Fox sent a cease-and-desist letter to Media Matters over a series of pieces titled “FOXLEAKS” highlighting the footage of Carlson.
Later the same day, the network sent a separate letter to Dominion Voting Systems, a company it recently paid $787.5 million in settlement money stemming from a defamation lawsuit, demanding it conduct an internal probe after media reports have surfaced pertaining to leaked text messages Carlson sent.