Thirty years ago, this might have been a parody sketch on "Saturday Night Live." Today, it's more evidence of the European Union's drift toward fascism.
The EU is seriously considering issuing a travel ban and imposing other sanctions against online talk show host Tucker Carlson. Carlson recently interviewed Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and the EU bureaucrats have their panties in a twist. It's not because they disagree with Putin's politics. Any decent human being does. They disagree with Tucker Carlson's politics and the fact that the Kremlin is using Carlson as a way to speak to Donald Trump supporters.
Europe's democrats are losing. The bureaucrats and technocrats running Europe don't care about human freedom. If they did, they wouldn't employ such a nauseating double standard in criticizing and sanctioning Carlson for interviewing someone that any other journalist on planet Earth would kill for.
In truth, Tucker Carlson wouldn't have been my first choice to interview the murderous thug Putin. But he got there first, and the fact that many on the left are incensed at Carlson's broadcast coup speaks volumes about their hypocrisy.
Newsweek reports that Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister and current member of the European Parliament, suggested the travel ban because the former Fox News host is a "mouthpiece" of former president Donald Trump. "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," Verhofstadt said.
Of course, journalism should be exempted from any sanctions for reporting the news. Putin gives so few interviews to Western journalists that the Carlson interview is breaking news itself.
"Most Americans have no idea why Putin invaded Ukraine or what his goals are now," Carlson told Newsweek.
"We are not here because we love Vladimir Putin... We are not encouraging you to agree with what Putin may say in this interview, but we are urging you to watch it. You should know as much as you can."
This kind of apostasy cannot be tolerated. Asking people to "know as much as you can" is tantamount to insurrection! How dare Carslon give people the opportunity to educate themselves beyond the milquetoast drivel being mouthed on CNN, MSNBC, and other "news" channels.
The EU's External Action Service (EEAS) is the bloc's diplomatic arm, responsible for foreign policy. For an individual to be added to the EU's sanctions list, evidence can be presented to the EEAS for review. If deemed sufficient, the EEAS can then present the case to the European Council—the body made up of EU national leaders—which takes the final decision on whether to impose sanctions. The leaders of member states can also propose sanctions for consideration directly through the Council.
As such, any hypothetical sanctions for Carlson may be some way off, even if the move has sufficient support among European lawmakers and heads of state.
Alone, members of the Parliament do not have the power to impose sanctions. Given the fierce struggles within the Council over several rounds of sanctions—including on individuals linked to the Kremlin—adding Carlson to that list would prove a tall order.
"He is no longer a newsman, but a propagandist for the most heinous regime on European soil and the one which is most dangerous to our peace and security," Luis Garicano, a former Member of the European Parliament told Newsweek.
Ever watched Jim Acosta or Katy Tur? I challenge any fair-minded person to say that either of those talking heads is anything but a propagandist for the Democratic Party.
Carlson may not meet the Scripps-Howard definition of "journalist." But his show is where millions of people go to become informed — at least, according to Tucker Carlson's worldview.
