Fox News host Tucker Carlson has criticised Donald Trump for encouraging Ukraine to investigate his 2020 rival Joe Biden in a rare break from his staunch support for the president.
Mr Carlson, who is one of Fox News’ leading presenters, fell short of backing impeachment in an op-ed on Friday but admitted that Mr Trump should not have raised the prospect of an investigation into Mr Biden and his son Hunter.
“Donald Trump should not have been on the phone with a foreign head of state encouraging another country to investigate his political opponent, Joe Biden,” he said.
“Some Republicans are trying, but there’s no way to spin this as a good idea.”
Mr Trump is accused of using the call with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, as part of a wider campaign to force Ukraine into investigating the Bidens that may have included withholding a White House visit and financial aid to the country.
The Fox News host co-wrote the op-ed for The Daily Caller, the right-wing website he helped set up, with fellow co-founder Neil Patel.
Mr Carlson added: “Our leaders’ official actions should not be about politics…
“Once those in control of our government use it to advance their political goals, we become just another of the world’s many corrupt countries.”
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Some political commentators have suggested Mr Carlson’s criticism of Mr Trump showed a pivot in conservative strategy for defending the president.
“This is a pretty transparent effort to provide a roadmap for Republicans looking for a way to publicly condemn Trump’s actions but still oppose impeachment,” Abby D Phillip, a political correspondent for CNN, said.
Bugs Marlowe