Senator Mitt Romney (R- UT) criticized Fox News’ Tucker Carlson in a speech Friday decrying the rise of authoritarianism around the world.
Romney spoke at Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institution to commemorate Constitution Day. He focused on nations like China and Russia, and at one point referenced the January 6 riots at the Capitol by Trump supporters. The senator again slammed the president for his false statements about the election.
Then, without referring to Carlson by name, Romney had this to say about the Fox News host:
A prominent TV pundit traveled to Hungary to extol Viktor Orban as a model for us to emulate. Orban censors the media in his country, ignores the will of the people in elections, amasses wealth for himself and his cronies. Hungary is ranked as one of the least free, least democratic countries in the developed world. Hungary, model for America?
Carlson was in Hungary weeks ago and conducted a friendly interview with Orban. At one point Carlson told viewers, “Just a few years ago, his views would’ve seemed moderate and conventional. He thinks families are more important than banks. He believes countries need borders. For saying these things out loud, Orbán has been vilified.”
He mockingly derided “left-wing NGOs” that “denounced him as a fascist, a destroyer of democracy.”
You can watch above (the relevant part starts around the 14-minute mark).
h/t Andrew Desiderio