Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Tucker Carlson has beef with the House GOP’s campaign chair, Tom Emmer, per Axios’ Jonathan Swan.
Carlson made an angry call to Emmer on Friday regarding his son Buckley, per Axios.
Carlson demanded to know which GOP aide made unflattering remarks about Buckley.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson called top House Republican Rep. Tom Emmer on Friday and demanded to know who in the GOP’s ranks made an unflattering comment about his son, per Axios.
At the core of Carlson’s beef with Emmer, per Axios’ Jonathan Swan, is an October 21 report from the Daily Beast in which an unnamed GOP strategist made a disparaging remark about Buckley Carlson — Carlson’s son and the communications director for Rep. Jim Banks.
Carlson phoned Emmer in a rage on Friday, per Axios. According to four sources who were briefed on Carlson and Emmer’s conversation, Carlson demanded that Emmer name the aide who made the comment about his son. Carlson said if no one was named, he would blame Emmer for the comment, per Axios.
Emmer told Carlson repeatedly that his office did not give the quote about Buckley Carlson to the Daily Beast, but Carlson was unconvinced and told Emmer they now have beef, per Axios.
Per the Daily Beast’s October 21 article, the unnamed Republican strategist said Banks hired Buckley Carlson in an effort to shore up his position to clinch the position of House Republican whip over Emmer, the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, or NRCC.
“Deep down, he dies to be liked by the Establishment. He hires Tucker Carlson’s son, a 24-year-old kid, to be his communications director,” the strategist told the Daily Beast of Banks.
NRCC communications director Michael McAdams told Axios that the accusations that Emmer had made the comments about Buckley Carlson were “baseless” and “meant to distract and divide Republicans.”
“Chairman Emmer and his staff have never attacked any other members’ staff. Period,” read McAdams’ statement to Axios.
Meanwhile, members of the GOP’s far-right — including Donald Trump Jr., the son of former President Donald Trump — accused Emmer of trashing Buckley Carlson.
“Why did Tom Emmer tell his consultants to run to the leftwing Daily Beast to trash Jim Banks, Tucker Carlson, and Tucker’s family? Does he really think that’s a winning strategy for a Republican House leadership race? Pathetic!” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted on October 21.
Representatives for Emmer and Tucker Carlson did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment. Buckley Carlson did not immediately return Insider’s request for comment.