London (Parliament Politics Maganize) – Johnson refutes Carlson’s allegation of a $1 million interview request, sparking debate on media-politician dynamics and financial negotiations
Boris Johnson has denied Tucker Carlson’s claim that he requested one million US dollars (almost £793,000) for consenting to an interview with the former Fox News host.
A spokesman for the former prime minister disregarded “untrue” accusations leveled at him by Mr. Carlson in an ample attack during an appearance on right-wing news channel Blaze TV.
The US presenter stated he had been “annoyed” after Mr. Johnson criticized him as a Kremlin stooge following his discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He declared he asked the former Tory MP for a talk and a member of Mr. Johnson’s team stated “It’s going to cost you one million dollars” and “then he will explain his position on Ukraine”.
Mr. Carlson rejected supporting Mr Putin’s regime, but counted: “I’m not defending Putin, but Putin didn’t ask for one million dollars… This whole thing is a freaking shakedown.”
He stated: “If you’re making money off a war, you know, you can deal with God on that because that’s immoral.”
A spokesman for Mr Johnson stated: “This account is untrue.”
The former prime minister’s team stated. Carlson, an influential voice in right-wing US media known for having established scathing attacks against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, had proposed one million dollars for an interview on his channel.
Mr. Johnson initially admitted, provided the money went only to Ukrainian veteran charities but determined not to go ahead with it after the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which has been widely blamed on the Kremlin, they stated.
It is the most delinquent flare-up in a row between the pair after Mr. Johnson utilized his Daily Mail column to label Mr Carlson “a traitor to journalism” for his interview with the Russian President.
Mr. Johnson stated the presenter had betrayed “viewers and listeners around the world” for not taking Mr Putin to task for “the torture, the rapes, the blowing up of kindergartens” in Ukraine.
The interview had witnessed the Moscow leader insist Mr. Johnson supported scuppering a deal aimed at ending the war – a claim that has been rejected by the former MP and rubbished by senior Ukrainian figures.
In Carlson’s opinion, the situation with Johnson’s demand for price portrays the former prime minister in a negative light compared to Putin. He described the alleged request as a “freaking shakedown,” highlighting the apparent contrast in the conduct of the two leaders during interview negotiations.
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As the story evolves, Carlson’s claims present questions about the dynamics of media interactions with political figures, shedding light on the behind-the-scenes negotiations and potential financial concerns involved in securing interviews with prominent personalities.