Antisemitic political commentator Tucker Carlson claims the CIA is spying on him and is preparing a criminal referral to the Department of Justice over alleged violations of the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA).

In a video statement released Saturday, Carlson alleged that U.S. intelligence officials accessed his text messages and are considering accusing him of acting on behalf of a foreign power because he communicated with individuals in Iran before the outbreak of war.

“The other day I found out that the CIA is preparing some kind of criminal referral against me,” Carlson said in the video. “What’s the crime? Talking to people in Iran before the war.”

Under the Foreign Agent Registration Act, it is illegal to lobby or advocate on behalf of a foreign government without registering with the U.S. government. Carlson denied that he had acted on behalf of any foreign entity and dismissed the idea of a criminal case as “ludicrous.”

“I’m not an agent of a foreign power,” Carlson said. “I have only one loyalty, and that’s the United States.”

Carlson insisted that communicating with foreign sources is simply part of his job as a journalist and commentator.

“It’s my job to talk to everybody all the time and try to figure out what’s happening around the world,” he said. “I’m an American. I can talk to anybody.”

Following the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28 — the U.S.-Israeli strikes that triggered the current war — Carlson condemned the conflict in unusually harsh terms, calling it “absolutely disgusting and evil.”

The comments drew a rare public rebuke from President Donald Trump, who said Carlson had “lost his way” and declared that the conservative commentator was “not MAGA.”

Several prominent voices on the political right have also intensified their criticism of Carlson.

Fox News host Mark Levin and others have accused him of amplifying narratives favorable to America’s adversaries in the Middle East. Some critics have even alleged that Carlson receives financial backing from Qatar, a claim Carlson has strongly denied.

Sen. Ted Cruz recently described Carlson as “the single most dangerous demagogue in this country” and accused him of spreading antisemitic rhetoric.

Carlson rejected those accusations in his video and suggested that the alleged intelligence investigation may be politically motivated.

“There are some people who are mad at me for my views about Israel,” Carlson said, suggesting that the purported referral could be part of an effort to intimidate him or damage his reputation.

In the video, Carlson argued that intelligence agencies routinely monitor American citizens and warned that such practices tend to increase during wartime.

“Countries tend to become more authoritarian in wartime,” he said. “There’s much less tolerance for dissent.”

Carlson claimed the alleged referral could be used to justify surveillance warrants or be leaked to the media to embarrass him — something he says has happened before.

He pointed to a 2021 incident during his time at Fox News, when he said the National Security Agency intercepted and leaked his communications while he was attempting to arrange an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“When a reporter calls you and knows the contents of your texts, it’s pretty clear something’s going on,” Carlson said.

Carlson framed the alleged investigation as part of a broader pattern of intelligence agencies targeting political figures, comparing it to the Russiagate controversy that engulfed Washington during the Trump presidency.

As of Saturday, neither the CIA nor the Department of Justice has confirmed the existence of any criminal referral involving Carlson.

The CIA typically does not investigate U.S. citizens domestically, a role primarily handled by the FBI.

Carlson himself said he does not believe the matter will lead to an actual prosecution.

“I doubt it will even become a case,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)