Tucker Carlson backpeddles after defending Vladimir Putin before Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Los Angeles Times

Before the invasion on Wednesday night, Carlson seemed to be waving the flag for the Russian president, calling Ukraine “a pure client state of the United States State Department.” Democrats, he said, had conditioned folks “to hate Putin." Carlson's comments on Tuesday night defending Putin were rebroadcast on Russia's RT with Russian subtitles. But by primetime Thursday, Carlson had changed his tune, saying he didn't approve of the invasion: “Vladimir Putin started this war,” he said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “He is to blame tonight for what we’re seeing tonight in the Ukraine.” Then he quickly pivoted. “The question is ... how should the United States respond to what he has done? Within minutes of the outbreak of the war last night the usual liars on television began leveraging this tragedy for partisan political gain ... it’s contemptible," Carlson said. "But we’re going to ignore that tonight and talk about what matters.” ALSO: Fox News hosts who ridiculed President Biden’s warnings that an invasion was imminent as a "ruse" quickly pivoted to saying it's his fault.