Tucker Carlson branded terrorist sympathizer for saying he'd offer condolences to Bin Laden’s family

WASHINGTON, DC: Tucker Carlson is in hot water for saying he’d offer Osama bin Laden’s family condolences.

The former Fox firebrand made the eyebrow-raising comment on his podcast while interviewing Shahed Ghoreishi, a former State Department official who was fired last month after defying Trump administration policy on the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza.

Ghoreishi told Carlson he also faced backlash for offering condolences to the families of journalists killed in Gaza in August — including Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif, who died along with five colleagues in an Israeli strike on Gaza City. At least 221 Palestinian journalists have been killed since October 2023, according to experts cited by The Daily Beast.

“I drafted a few lines — they were not softie lines, the only thing that was there that they didn’t like was that I did share condolences, which is pretty standard… I said ‘We share condolences for the families of the killed journalists,’” Ghoreishi explained.

Carlson quipped back, “Well, that sounds like hate speech to me. Condolences to the families of people who got killed? Non-combatants killed in war? What happened when you put that in there?”  

Tucker Carlson claims sympathy for Osama bin Laden’s family doesn’t equal support for terrorism

Ghoreishi said a senior official brushed him off.

“I was immediately told from a senior official that we don’t know what Anas did, essentially, and I was like, that’s odd,” he explained. “[They] were alluding to the fact that he may have done something, or that he was a problematic actor in some way.”

That’s when Carlson jumped in. “Let me just say. I would be totally comfortable sharing condolences with Osama bin Laden’s family. I hate Osama bin Laden. On the other hand, if somebody dies, it’s OK to say, ‘I’m sorry’ to his family," he said.

“I would say that to the family of an executed murderer in a prison. It doesn’t mean I support the murderer, but this is family. That’s OK. It’s called human decency," he added.

MAGA influencers blast Tucker Carlson over bin Laden remarks, demand TPUSA drop him

Laura Loomer pounced immediately on X: “Ok, so I’ll be taking apologies all night from people who told me I was wrong when I called Tucker Carlson out for being a mouthpiece for Islamic terrorists. Was I right? Or really FING right? Post your apologies below!”

Jaimee Michell, founder of Gays Against Groomers, also demanded Carlson be pulled from Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in December.

“I once considered Tucker Carlson a friend. He supported my work with [Gays Against Groomers] and we stayed in touch for years. But he’s not the same man today. If he speaks at AmFest, it will destroy all their credibility. Charlie Kirk must act now. Contracts be damned,” Michell wrote.

Conservative media personality John Cardillo called Carlson a “full-blown terror simp,” while MAGA YouTuber Shawn Farash added, “This guy is a mess these days."

Dakota Meyer, a former Marine and Sarah Palin’s ex-son-in-law, also slammed the host. “I always liked Tucker Carlson — but him offering condolences to bin Laden’s family? Completely insane. Empathizing with terrorists only normalizes terror. And let’s not forget — terrorism is a family business," he said.

In a follow-up tweet, Meyer alleged that Carlson “has to be taking Qatar money.” That charge has been snowballing among Trump loyalists unhappy with Carlson’s digs at Trump’s Israel stance.

Tucker Carlson disputes Trump’s story, insists he never phoned to apologize

Trump and Tucker Carlson have their own history of turbulence. Back in June, Trump told reporters that Carlson had phoned him to apologize for being too harsh in his criticism.

Carlson flatly denied the claim a month later in an interview with German paper Bild.

“I don’t know what I’d apologize for," he said. "I didn’t attack Trump then. I disagreed with him, and I, you know, I said how? I wasn’t, you know, I didn’t say, I don’t think, anything that would warrant an apology."

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