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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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A Russian lawmaker has invoked the threat of nuclear war in responding to an unfounded claim by Tucker Carlson that Vladimir Putin was the subject of a U.S. assassination plot.
Russian parliamentary speaker Vyacheslav Volodin responded to the American right-wing broadcaster's assertion—which was not backed up by evidence, that the Biden administration had tried to assassinate the Russian president.
Volodin said merely discussing a plot to assassinate Putin was path to nuclear war and that Carlson's comments should be investigated further. State news agency Tass reported that Russia's parliament will appeal to U.S. Congress and the U.N. to investigate the claims.
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However, the Kremlin also cast doubt on Carlson's claims on Wednesday saying it was not clear what he meant and there was no evidence.
Newsweek has contacted the Tucker Carlson Network and the Kremlin for comment by email.
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Why it matters
Carlson has been criticized for echoing Kremlin talking points, as well as a softball interview with Putin during a visit to Moscow last year. Volodin's comments add to a climate of nuclear threats that has pervaded U.S-Russian ties since the start of Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What to know
During an episode of The Tucker Carlson Show podcast, the right-wing commentator said that the previous Biden administration tried to have Putin killed.
After his guest, the journalist Matt Taibbi, interjected, Carlson doubled down on his claim without providing any evidence, saying that such a plot was "demented" as he suggested that Washington had sought a direct confrontation with Moscow.
In a Telegram post on Wednesday, Volodin said that any plot to assassinate Putin and discussions on the subject constitute a crime and a serious threat to global security and a path to nuclear war.
Volodin said that after a day neither Biden nor former Secretary of State Antony Blinken had denied the claims.
The Duma speaker's post referred to reports of preparations for an attack on Hungarian Prime Minister Orban. He also said assassination attempts on Slovakia's Prime Minister Fico and President Donald Trump last year as showing that talk of plans to kill Putin must be taken seriously.
On Wednesday, Tass reported that the State Duma will appeal to the U.S. Congress and the U.N. in demanding a probe into the claims about the alleged assassination plot.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not directly address Carlson's claim when asked about it on Tuesday, telling state media that Russian intelligence agencies take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the president.
On Wednesday, Peskov told Russian radio that Carlson did not provide any evidence and did not understand what he meant by it.
President Joe Biden's administration coincided with the start of the war and since February 2024, has presided over the U.S. providing tens of billions of dollars in aid to Kyiv.
Carlson been previously criticized for flirting with baseless conspiracy theories ranging from COVID vaccines to the white nationalist Great Replacement conspiracy theory. He has also called Ukraine "a tyranny."
What people are saying
Tucker Carlson on his podcast: "The Biden administration did, they tried to kill Putin."
State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin on Telegram: "The plot to assassinate Putin, mere discussions of it is a crime, a serious threat to global security, a direct path to nuclear war. All international institutions should view it as a basis for an investigation."
He added: "What Tucker Carlson said should be thoroughly investigated," the post added.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday: "We don't quite understand what Carlson meant when he said this. He didn't provide any evidence. It's not clear what he meant. It is better not to take someone's word for it when there is no evidence."
What happens next
Carlson's claims have grabbed the headlines but the focus is likely to be whether the relationship between Washington and Moscow can improve under the new Trump administration and whether the new president can push Putin to the negotiating table over his war against Ukraine.
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