Overview

• In a two-hour interview released June 18, Tucker Carlson pressed Senator Ted Cruz on backing Israel’s air campaign against Iranian nuclear sites and its military leaders.
• Carlson’s questioning exposed Cruz’s unfamiliarity with Iran’s population and led to a heated debate over allegations that Tehran sought to assassinate President Trump, a point Carlson disputed.
• On his podcast this week, Cruz accused Carlson of going “batcrap crazy” on foreign policy and labeled his isolationist stance as dangerously naive.
• The Senate Republican Conference circulated clips of Cruz’s rebuttals to counter Carlson’s criticisms of pro-Israel lobbying and interventionist policies.
• President Trump confirmed Carlson apologized for overly strong remarks and affirmed U.S. support for Israel during ongoing deliberations over possible deeper involvement in the Middle East conflict.