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A journalist has been charged with illegally accessing Fox News’ systems in an attempt to uncover compromising videos to discredit Tucker Carlson.
Timothy Burke, the journalist in question, was indicted on Thursday following an investigation into his suspected involvement in leaking the videos last spring.
The footage, which included off-air comments and unpublished news content, was circulated under the title “Leaked videos of former Fox News figure Tucker Carlson.”
Chris2loose reposted one of the leaked videos on X:
Leaked footage of an unaired Tucker Carlson monologue while he was still at Fox.
— Clueless Chris (@chrisusclueless) February 16, 2024
I can see why they axed him. He was starting to sound like a kook ???? pic.twitter.com/eeEJ9uvIwz
The footage reveals private discussions and communications where Carlson is said to have made jokes about gender pronouns, Dominion voting systems, Fox executives, the Fox subscription service “Fox Nation,” and various Progressive initiatives.
These leaked videos reportedly played a role in Dominion voting system attorneys’ strategy in their defamation lawsuit, leading Fox News to settle out of court for a record $787.5 million.
Burke refutes allegations of hacking into the Fox platform and disseminating videos featuring Carlson. His attorney asserts that his client “never hacked Fox News” and adds, “We firmly believe that once all the facts are revealed, it will be evident that Timothy did not engage in any hacking and that all the information he shared was publicly accessible.”
Journalist Tim Burke, @bubbaprog, late of @Deadspin and @thedailybeast , was indicted today over leaked Tucker Carlson clips https://t.co/KJgkGYcYej
— Tessa Stuart (@tessastuart) February 22, 2024
When questioned about the origin of video footage discovered during a search of Burke’s residence by federal authorities last summer, Burke’s attorney, Mark Rasch, asserted, “Tim possesses exceptional skills in locating publicly accessible content on the internet.”
Rasch further emphasized, “If a video is openly available, unencrypted, and lacks protection, then there is no legal wrongdoing when a journalist like Tim locates it, examines its contents, and accurately reports on it. This holds true even when, and perhaps especially when, the subjects wish to keep it hidden. This encapsulates the essence of journalism in the digital era.”
The story was initially uncovered by Will Sommer of the Washington Post.
Media news: journalist Tim Burke (@bubbaprog) has been federally indicted for conspiracy to commit hacking, in a case over his access to unpublished Fox News footage of Tucker Carlson. Burke's attorney says the arraignment is set for 2 pm.
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) February 22, 2024
Backstory: https://t.co/a2HZq4PbTT
At first, Carlson implied that Fox executives might have leaked the video to rationalize their abrupt dismissal of the top news host.
However, network executives refuted Carlson’s claims and issued a vehemently worded cease-and-desist letter in response.
