Tucker Carlson Calls Out Republicans For A Strange Reason

Monday saw yet more Republican infighting, with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson taking House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to task for renting a room from wealthy pollster Frank Luntz.

The split between traditionalists and Trump’s alt-right continues to hamper the Republican Party, with Carlson suggesting that McCarthy’s living arrangements gave already-advantageous elites yet another edge over working-class voters.

McCarthy told “Fox and Friends” Tuesday that Luntz is a longtime friend who offered him space for a couple of months when congressional offices were transitioning under Democratic control.

“I didn't know how this was controversial," McCarthy said. "Frank has been a friend of mine for more than 30 years… Don't worry, I'm back to — going back to where I normally am, on my couch in my office. But, yes, we pay fair market rate.”

For Carlson, that represents a serious conflict of interests.

"Why do Republican officials listen more carefully to Frank Luntz than they do their own voters?" he said, continuing that “living with a lobbyist for Google” gave wealthy interests an "outsized influence over the Republican Party's policy positions."

Luntz himself has criticized both parties, and although still a member of the GOP, has split with McCarthy over the fate of Donald Trump. While McCarthy has been a staunch supporter of the former president, Luntz says his polling indicates the public views Trump as a “genuine villain” and that "there isn't even a shred of hope for him if he should ever try to reenter politics."

The backdrop for this conflict is an increasingly vocal Trump in the lead-up to the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans hope they can disrupt Democratic control of the government, but the populist wing’s style and divisive rhetoric could prove a wildcard for that election and beyond.

"[Luntz] seems upset. I think he and Tucker must dislike each other, and I don't think that's right," McCarthy said. "They need to get together and solve whatever difficulties because we've got to make sure that we put this country back on the right track. We were so successful under President Trump, and what President Biden is doing today — the last thing we want to do is be fighting among ourselves."