Fox News' host Tucker Carlson went after senior White House adviser Jared Kushner Monday night, saying no one has 'more contempt&#...
Fox News' host Tucker Carlson went after senior White House adviser Jared Kushner Monday night, saying no one has 'more contempt' for President Donald Trump's supporters than his son-in-law.
Carlson's attack was part of a nearly 30-minute monologue in which he criticized Trump's leadership on the protests that have broken out throughout the country in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man killed when a white cop knelt on his neck for eight minutes.
It's unclear if the president saw Carlson's monologue but he is a frequent viewer of Fox News.
Fox News' host Tucker Carlson went after senior White House adviser Jared Kushner
Conservatives have been wary of Jared Kushner's credentials; he was a longtime Democratic supporter before President Trump ran for office
'No one has more contempt for Donald Trump's voters than Jared Kushner does and no one expresses it more frequently,' the Fox News host said, adding that Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, has 'subverted' the president's winning instincts.
Carlson said that Trump has signaled he wants to crack down on rioters, but 'every time he has been talked out of it by Jared Kushner and aides Kushner has hired and controls.'
The Fox News host also attacked Kushner's work on criminal justice reform, claiming it has released more criminals onto the street.
'As crime in this country continues to rise, Jared Kushner led a highly aggressive effort to let more criminals out of prison and back onto the street. This is reckless,' he said, going on to add that the 'liberal' Kushner has 'convinced the president that throwing up the prisons is the key to winning African-American votes in the fall and that those votes are essential to his reelection
As Carlson spoke, chyron on the screen read: 'KUSHNER IS LEADING TRUMP IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.'
The White House did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.
Kushner's work on criminal justice reform won him bipartisan praise and is one of the few legislative accomplishments of the Trump administration. The reform - passed by Congress - was the biggest overhaul of prison and sentencing laws in years and it over turned policies that critics called racist, ineffective and costly.
'Jared is not a conservative he's never hidden who he is,' one Republican operative who is in regular contact with the White House told DailyMail.com. 'But it doesn't mean he's trying not to help conservative base.'
The operative characterized Carlson's criticism as 'unfair' and argued it was a 'waste of time' for Kushner to respond.
'Jared doesn't win that exchange with Tucker. It elevates Tucker more. He was never a MAGA person. He has never been on board,' the person added.
President Trump walked out of the White House Monday night for a photo-op at St. John's Church; Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump can be seen walking out of the gate behind him
Tucker Carlson also criticized aides who work for Jared Kushner, which could be a reference to Hope Hicks, who rejoined the White House as part of Kushner's team
President Trump declared himself the 'law and order president' in a tough speech to protesters
President Trump walked across from White House to St. John's Church to hold up a bible for a photo op
Kushner was a prominent Democratic supporter before his father-in-law entered Republican politics. Since then he has embraced his new affiliation although some conservatives have expressed concern about his credentials.
He's also been working on a radical overhaul of the Republican Party platform, Axios reported, a story that sparked fear among right-wing Republicans. Kushner reportedly told party officials he wants to shrink the platform to a series of principles that would fit on a card that could go in a person's pocket.
It's unclear what aides Carlson was referring to in his rant but one could have been Hope Hicks, the influential former White House communications director who returned to the White House to work for Kushner.
The plan for President Trump to walk across Lafayette Park to pose with a bible in front of the historic St. Johns' Church was hatched by Hicks, The New York Times reported, noting she worked with others to have the president make the walk.
Some White House advisers praised the move and argued the photo will become historic and iconic.
But critics have called it a tone-deaf photo op. Law enforcement officials used rubber bullets, tear gas and officers on horse back to clear out protesters so Trump could leave the White House to walk to the historic church, known as the Church of Presidents as every president since James Madison has prayed there.
In his monologue, Carlson also addressed President Trump directly, calling the protests 'the singular test of his presidency.'
'If you can't keep a Fox News correspondent from getting attacked directly across from your house, how can you protect my family? How are you going to protect the country? How hard are you trying?' Carlson said.
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