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TUCKERED-OUT: Carlson demands that a PAC stop recruiting him

TUCKERED-OUT: Carlson demands that a PAC stop recruiting him

TUCKERED-OUT: Carlson demands that a PAC stop recruiting him

The former Fox News host Tucker Carlson says he’s not running for president and is demanding that a persistent PAC stop making ads to try to recruit him.

Tucker Carlson was booted off Fox News last month amid a series of incidents including defamation lawsuits, publicly-released communications, and a new lawsuit alleging discriminatory behavior, racism, and more.

The official reason for his ouster is still a matter of speculation, but his fans aren’t having it.

Carlson says he’s moving forward with an online show instead, but a group has gotten together to produce ads calling for him to run for president.

Now, he’s responding with a letter from his attorney, Harmeet Dhillon, warning the Draft Tucker PAC that if they don’t stop using his image to solicit funds, he’ll be taking legal action.

The group’s ads have all the requisite disclaimers, noting that they’re for a PAC acting on its own and have not been authorized by any candidate or campaign, and they’re very open about the fact that Carlson is not a declared candidate, but one they’d like to see run.

Though it’s not clear what, if any, real legal action would be available to Carlson, the PAC seems to be taking it very seriously. From The Hill:

“’Tucker’s attorney has contacted us to let us know that Tucker is not a candidate for president nor has any intentions of running and asked us to cease all activities on his behalf. We are going to honor that request,’ spokesman and GOP consultant Charlie Kolean said in a statement.”

They’ve also deleted their Twitter account, formerly holding the handle @DrafttuckerPAC.

The group says it’s barely taken in over $200 in donations, which it will either refund or donate to the charity of Carlson’s choice.

The ultimate question is why Carlson hit the PAC with such a strong response right away.

He’s using a very GOP-connected attorney, for one thing. Dhillon was connected to Donald Trump and ran for GOP Chair.

Florida Governor and likely-soon-official presidential candidate Ron DeSantis threw his support behind her for the role, calling for “new blood,” Axios reported.

Dhillon lost, and now, it seems, she’s sending stern warnings to tiny PACs for what she calls “defrauding [Carlson’s] supporters” by soliciting him to run for president when he “will not run for President in 2024 under any circumstances,” according to The Daily Beast.

Of course, there’s Trump, who still has the ability to make or break GOP political careers, including media careers in political commentary, and who is openly attacking opponents who are running or may (cough…DeSantis…cough) run against him.

Trump and his supporters already have an excuse on deck to turn on Tucker, after some of his messages released in the Dominion Voting Systems case showed him mocking Trump’s lawyers, disdaining his election fraud cases, and expressing distaste for Trump himself (all while expressing emphatic support publicly).

So far, it hasn’t hurt his standing with the former president and his fans — Fox News even aired (before Carlson’s firing) a special in which Tucker hosted the MAGA king for a very friendly interview.

Still, a wrong move with Trump, even if it’s through others promoting a hypothetical campaign, could damage Carlson in any future political endeavors and even his new internet show.

Though the PAC has hit the self-destruct button, you can still see a copy of their Draft Tucker ad below.

Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.

Stephanie Bazzle
Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here:

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