by Harold Hutchison
An FBI raid of the home of a media consultant in Tampa was linked to a probe into leaked videos involving former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the Tampa Bay Times reported Friday.
FBI agents searched the home of Tim Burke, a media consultant who also worked with media outlets, and Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak May 8 as part of a probe into backstage videos and unaired footage obtained by Vice News and Media Matters, according to the Times.
The videos show Carlson, a co-founder of the Daily Caller and Daily Caller News Foundation, having candid conversations during commercial breaks and prior to segments on his Fox News program. Unaired portions of Carlson’s two-part interview with rapper and fashion designer Kanye West from October 2022 also were released.
Fox News announced Carlson’s departure from the network April 24, saying they had “agreed to part ways” with the popular host. The network’s ratings have dropped since Carlson’s departure, with some subscribers cancelling their subscriptions to the affiliated streaming service, Fox Nation.
Attorneys for Carlson accused the network of breaching its contract May 19, saying the leaks were part of a “smear campaign” against the former host. Fox News sent Media Matters a cease-and-desist letter after that outlet posted some of the leaked videos.
Carlson announced May 9 he would be re-launching the show on Twitter. Carlson’s interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, aired shortly before his departure from the network.
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Harold Hutchison is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Tucker Carlson” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “FBI Building” by cisko66. CC BY 3.0.
