Political shapeshifter Bill Kristol suggested on X, formerly known as Twitter, that perhaps the United States border should be closed to commentator Tucker Carlson upon his return from Moscow. Kristol made the subtle suggestion that Carlson be investigated for any untoward relations with the Russian government. 

Perhaps we need a total and complete shutdown of Tucker Carlson re-entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) February 4, 2024

The former Fox News journalist was spotted recently in Moscow, and there is speculation he may have secured an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Carlson would be the first Western member of the media to interview the Russian leader since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

Perhaps Kristol’s dislike of Carlson’s actual conservative ideology has motivated him to insinuate that he is aiding and abetting Russia rather than securing a blockbuster interview. 

Kristol was roundly criticized by other X posters for his baseless suggestion. It was noted that ABC’s Jon Miller interviewed Osama Bin Laden in 1998 and CBS’s Mike Wallace interviewed Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979 during the Iranian hostage crisis. 

Kristol’s post has profoundly anti-free speech implications, as it clearly indicates his willingness to silence opinions with which he disagrees. 

“American citizens/journalists I don’t like should be barred from re-entering the country until federal authorities investigate to my satisfaction.”

– Defender of Freedom and the Constitution, Bill Kristol

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) February 4, 2024

Kristol was one of the founding fathers of the “Never Trump” movement and creator of the Republican Voters Against Trump organization. He has virulently opposed Trump from the start of his 2016 campaign. 

He renounced support for Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin in 2013 and ended up supporting President Joe Biden in 2020. During the 2021 Gubernatorial election in his home state of Virginia, he supported Democrat and radical LGBT activist Terry McAuliffe. He’s even formally  identified himself as a “former Republican” in an interview with Jewish Insider in 2021. 

Tucker Carlson was a conservative commentator for Fox News prior to being abruptly fired in April 2023. He has since launched his own streaming service in December 2023 called the Tucker Carlson Network.  A strong Trump supporter, Carlson’s ouster from Fox News does not seem to have damaged his clout as a major media figure, as his probable upcoming Putin interview shows.