Feds investigating alleged hack in connection with leaked Tucker Carlson footage: report
Federal investigators are probing an alleged hack of Fox News’s internal systems that resulted in unaired footage of former host Tucker Carlson being leaked to the press, according to a new report.
The Tampa Bay Times reported on Friday that the investigation is tied to a search conducted by the FBI at the home of prominent media consultant and prolific Twitter personality Tim Burke, whose wife is a member of the Tampa City Council.
Burke told the Times after speaking with his lawyer he could not comment.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Trezevant sent a letter to Fox News requesting it preserve information and records related to the investigation for at least 90 days, the Times reported, noting the letter stated investigators view the network “as one of the potential victim-witnesses” of alleged criminal conduct.
Carlson was ousted by Fox earlier this spring and has not said anything publicly about what led to his being taken off the air. The former prime-time host, who is still under contract with Fox, has accused his former employer of violating its contract with him by leaking negative material to the press.
News of the FBI investigation comes weeks after a number of media outlets and watchdogs, including Vice and Media Matters for America, published previously unaired footage of Carlson and his program, some of which showed him making crude and offensive comments about women.
On May 5, Fox sent a cease-and-desist letter to Media Matters over a series of pieces titled “FOXLEAKS” highlighting the footage of Carlson.
Later the same day, the network sent a separate letter to Dominion Voting Systems, a company it recently paid $787.5 million in settlement money stemming from a defamation lawsuit, demanding it conduct an internal probe after media reports have surfaced pertaining to leaked text messages Carlson sent.
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