- Fox News host Tucker Carlson chastised Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas Wednesday night.
- Carlson bashed Cruz for accurately describing January 6 as "a violent terrorist attack."
- What made Cruz's comments more befuddling, according to Carlson, is that he's "legitimately smart."
After listing a series of compliments about Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Fox News host Tucker Carlson criticized the lawmaker for accurately describing the events of January 6, 2021.
"We are approaching a solemn anniversary this week," Cruz said during a committee hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill. "And it is an anniversary of a violent terrorist attack on the Capitol where we saw the men and women of law enforcement demonstrate incredible courage, incredible bravery, risk their lives to defend the men and women who serve in this Capitol."
—The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) January 6, 2022
"Now let's be honest," Carlson said after playing a clip of Cruz's comments. "Everyone who's conservative appreciates Ted Cruz. You may not like him. But you've gotta appreciate him. He's legitimately smart.
"He's one of the more articulate people to serve in the Congress, maybe the most articulate," the Fox News primetime host continued. "He doesn't use a single word by accident. Every word Ted Cruz uses is used intentionally. He's a lawyer."
In line with his three-part miniseries that falsely cast the Capitol siege as a government inside job, Carlson took issue with Cruz accurately describing the violence of the day.
"He described January 6th as a violent terrorist attack. Of all the things January 6th was, it was definitely not a violent terrorist attack," Carlson said. "It wasn't an insurrection. Was it a riot? Sure. It was not a violent terrorist attack. Sorry! So why are you telling us it was, Ted Cruz?"
Carlson compared Cruz to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who gave a speech on the eve of the anniversary that detailed the threat posed by hate groups involved in the assault on the Capitol and the need for patience as the DOJ continues to investigate and prosecute perpetrators "at any level."
In making the comparison, Carlson called on Cruz to come to his senses.
"What the hell's going on here?" Carlson said. "You're making us think, maybe the Republican Party is as worthless as we suspected it was. That can't be true. Reassure us, please, Ted Cruz."
Fox News did not respond to Insider's request for comment.