Nonagenarian News Corp supremo Rupert Murdoch had a telephone call with embattled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the weeks ahead of Tucker Carlson’s ouster at Fox News, according to reports from the newly-constituted Semafor news organization.
Semafor, another D.C.-based, globalist-left outlet, revealed the “previously unreported call” between Zelensky and Murdoch following a prior chat between the Ukrainian leader and Fox News Corporation chief executive Lachlan Murdoch on March 15th:
Senior Ukrainian officials had made their objections to Carlson’s coverage known to Fox executives, but Zelenskyy did not raise it on the calls with the Murdochs, according to one person familiar with the details of the calls.
The outlet observed that Murdoch “was disturbed by Carlson’s stance on Ukraine,” and that hawkish Republicans “are not hiding their relief” that he has been jettisoned from his prime-time slot:
The Murdoch’s have not revealed which of Carlson’s many provocations triggered his firing, and there’s no particular suggestion that Zelenskyy — whom Carlson had called a “dictator” — delivered the final blow.
But Carlson’s firing will immediately relieve pressure on key Capitol Hill Ukraine supporters whom Carlson had criticized on air — and sometimes pressed behind the scenes to change their positions on the war.
Texas Rep. Michael McCaul has been one of the most outspoken Republican supporters of the US support for Ukraine, stepping out of line to occasionally reprimand figures in his own party who do not share his views on the subject.
Semafor further noted that The New York Post and Wall Street Journal, described as “Murdoch family mouthpieces”, have taken aim at conservatives opposed to American involvement in the war in Ukraine on a regular basis.
Veteran reporter Seymour Hersh recently revealed that Zelensky and his generals were embezzling hundreds of millions of U.S. aid dollars, in a story quickly suppressed on social media.