(José Niño, Headline USA) Call it a Qatari Occupied Government?
Tucker Carlson faces accusations of acting as a Qatari propagandist as he pushes against U.S. support for Israel’s war in Iran. Carlson vehemently denies the allegations, and his supporters have noted that there’s no proof to them.
The accusations were amplified after his interview with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, earlier this week, where he pressed the Texas senator on his support for a U.S. attack on Iran — a move perceived as being beneficial for the state of Israel.
As a result of this interview, establishment conservatives and pro-Zionist fellow travelers have launched attacks against Carlson.
On Thursday, Vocal Trump ally and right-wing activist Laura Loomer pounced on Tucker, citing his high-profile March interview with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani as evidence that he is being paid to serve the geopolitical interests of Qatar.
How do you know @TuckerCarlson didn’t receive money?
Do you really think a mainstream media pundit would be contacted by a lobbyist for Qatar about setting up an interview overseas with the prime minister of Qatar and fly to Qatar on his own dime with his staff and pay for…
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) June 19, 2025
Tucker’s interview with the Qatari leader was an event that drew millions of views and was widely perceived as friendly to Qatar’s positions, especially regarding tensions with Iran.
Loomer claimed, citing Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings and media reports, that Carlson had received as much as $200,000 from Qatari sources for the interview, alleging he was “controlled by Muslims” and was pushing “pro-Islamist, anti-American and anti-Israel talking points to undermine President Trump.”
She argued that the arrangement amounted to foreign propaganda and called on other conservative figures, including Steve Bannon, to publicly correct the record and denounce Carlson’s alleged ties to Qatar.
Central to Loomer’s accusations was the role of Lumen8 Advisors, a U.S.-based consulting firm receiving $180,000 per month from the Qatari embassy to provide media and communication services, according to a report by The Washington Examiner.
FARA records confirmed that Lumen8 facilitated Carlson’s interview with the Qatari Prime Minister, but there was no direct evidence in the filings that Carlson or his network received payments from Qatar. Despite this, Loomer and others circulated screenshots and interpretations of the documents to support their claims.
On Tuesday, Loomer shared a screenshot showing Carlson’s alleged connections to Qatar.
How do you know @TuckerCarlson didn’t receive money?
Do you really think a mainstream media pundit would be contacted by a lobbyist for Qatar about setting up an interview overseas with the prime minister of Qatar and fly to Qatar on his own dime with his staff and pay for…
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) June 19, 2025
However, journalist Dan Friedman countered by noting that “FARA documents don’t indicate Carlson was paid by Qatar.”
This is a screenshot from a FARA filing that shows a firm Qatar paid $180,000 a month to do public relations for them arranged for the Qatari PM to be interviewed by Tucker Carlson. The FARA documents don't indicate Carlson was paid by Qatar. https://t.co/kk8NDdQuil
— Dan Friedman (@dfriedman33) June 18, 2025
Carlson and his business partners have previously denied the allegations. In an interview with Steve Bannon, Carlson insisted, “I’ve never taken a dime from any foreign country or anybody,” dismissing the accusations as baseless projection from his critics. His network also issued statements categorically denying any foreign funding.
As Headline USA reported last month, pro-Zionist conservatives have mounted what seems like a concerted social media campaign to portray Qatar as a malign actor in Middle Eastern affairs.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
