MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2023) Russian anti-globalization activist Alexander Ionov has suggested in an interview with Sputnik that outspoken former Fox news host Tucker Carlson could eventually be prosecuted for criticizing the state.
"I think he is being closely monitored by the FBI and as soon as he makes a wrong move he will get a visit from them," the president of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia (AGMR) said.
Axios has reported that Fox News sent Tucker a letter in June demanding that its former prime-time host "cease and desist" from presenting his new show on Twitter. The show has been watched by millions.
"He is a popular media personality who has sway over crowds and is difficult to approach. But the more compromising evidence they have against him the easier he will be to manage and manipulate. That's why I think he is likely to be persecuted for what he does," Ionov said.
The Russian human rights activist, who has a $10 million bounty on his head in the United States for allegedly conspiring to have Americans act as illegal agents of the Russian government, said Carlson covered his case on his talk show a day before his surprise firing by Fox News.
"The day before he was fired, he ran a long segment about my case. He came down hard on the Department of Justice and made waves on Twitter and Facebook. Everyone wrote about this because Carlson is a right-wing conservative and it was the first time that he stood up for left-wing activists. Of course, he had problems and I expect them to continue," Ionov said.
The 33-year-old Russian is accused of working with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) to orchestrate a years-long foreign malign influence campaign that used various US political groups to sow discord, spread pro-Russian propaganda, and interfere in US elections from at least December 2014 through March 2022.
The indictment alleges that Ionov supported political campaigns in Florida, promoted California's secession from the United States, and funded a protest tour in support of a petition criticizing the "genocide" of African people in the country. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
