Lawmakers are worked up about Tucker Carlson’s exit from Fox News

Kari Lake, a former Arizona gubernatorial candidate and television host, congratulated Carlson on the move.

“The best decision I ever made was leaving Fox. Good for you, @TuckerCarlson. You’re free & uncensored!” she tweeted.

Former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who frequently lambasted the Fox News host in the past, said it’s “about time” after all his “lies and defamation.”

Democrats echoed a similar sentiment, characterizing Carlson’s departure as a win for democracy.

“Crazy thought, but maybe it’s time to face some consequences after blatantly lying to millions of Americans and actively eroding democracy for years,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) wrote on Twitter.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) blasted the primetime host, calling his program “a sewer of countless lies and hate spewed out every single night” in a tweet. “One of the leading election deniers and opponents of democracy in America and abroad will no longer have a primetime platform. That’s a good thing.”

In his 14 years as a political analyst at Fox News, Carlson made a name for himself as a conservative firebrand, often creating controversies that landed him in hot water with Democrats and Republicans alike. Before that, he was a host on MSNBC for three years.

In March, Carlson said rioters were “right” to believe the 2020 presidential election was “unfairly conducted,” despite there being no evidence of election interference.

Carlson has also expressed his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, once saying “Why do I care what is going on in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia? I’m serious. Why shouldn’t I root for Russia? Which by the way I am.” He later backed away from the statement, claiming that he was joking.

And in 2018, a number of advertisers cut ties with his show over immigration-related remarks in which Carlson said some lawmakers tell Americans they have a “moral obligation to admit the world’s poor … even if it makes our own country poorer and dirtier and more divided.”

The announcement by Fox News was followed shortly after by CNN host Don Lemon’s announcement that he was fired by his company, citing “some larger issues at play.”