Franco Figliuzzithe former deputy director of counterintelligence of the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the Russian president Vladimir Putin he managed to manipulate the Tucker Carlson interview to his advantage and the right-wing commentator played his game.
Because matter: Figliuzzi criticized the recent interview between Putin and Carlson by claiming that Putin, a former KGB officer, is skilled at manipulating events to achieve desired results.
He suggested that Putin chose to be interviewed by Carlson, who is not a real journalist, because he knew Carlson would not challenge him, he said in an opinion piece for MSNBC.
Figliuzzi wrote: “Putin wanted none of this. This is essentially what Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Other Western media outlets have attempted to interview Putin. The Kremlin chose Carlson because he “has a different position from the others”.
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The former FBI agent also pointed out that Carlson did not question Putin on several controversial topics, such as the treatment of political opponents and the rise of anti-Semitism in Russia.
“This is why Putin chose Carlson. He is a ‘useful idiot,’ a phrase often used to describe people vulnerable to easy manipulation and exploitation,” he wrote.
He also suggested that the timing of the interview may have been linked to ongoing debates in the US Senate over providing further financial aid to Ukraine. Putin may have wanted to make his case to lawmakers undecided about the U.S. role in Ukraine.
Furthermore, Putin has hinted at the possibility of negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, which could be a sign of Russia’s weakening position in the conflict.
“We can’t really gauge how sincere Putin was on this topic because Carlson mostly let him blather on about how Zelensky and, strangely, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were responsible for the lack of negotiations,” Figliuzzi said.
What happened: In his first interview with an American journalist since the invasion of Ukraine, Putin said the fight will continue, but that he has no interest in further expanding the conflict. The interview, conducted by Carlson, was criticized for not being incisive.
Putin also made clear that Russia has no plans to expand its war in Ukraine to other countries, including Poland and Latvia. He said Russia would consider sending troops to NATO member Poland only if Poland attacked Russia.
Previously, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton he also criticized Carlson following his decision to interview Putin, calling him a “useful idiot”.
Read next: Tucker Carlson urges Americans to watch interview with Russian president: ‘As a free citizen and not a slave, you can decide for yourself’
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and has been reviewed and published by Benzinga Editors.
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