Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson, 56, publicly alleged on March 14, 2026, that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been monitoring his private text messages and is actively preparing a criminal referral against him for submission to the Department of Justice. Carlson made these serious claims in a five-minute video and an accompanying written statement posted to X, asserting that the alleged surveillance is an attempt to "frame" him for a crime.
"The CIA is preparing some kind of criminal referral against me, a crime report to the Department of Justice, on the basis of a supposed crime I committed." — Tucker Carlson, Media Personality
In his video statement, Carlson directly stated, "The CIA is preparing some kind of criminal referral against me, a crime report to the Department of Justice, on the basis of a supposed crime I committed." He elaborated that the alleged crime revolves around communications he held with individuals in Iran prior to the onset of a conflict. "What’s that crime? Well, talking to people in Iran before the war. They read my texts," Carlson explained.
Carlson specifically pointed to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) as the potential legal mechanism the agency might be using against him. FARA is a federal statute that requires individuals engaging in political advocacy or public relations for foreign governments or entities to register with the Justice Department. Despite the gravity of the allegations, Carlson expressed confidence that no formal case would materialize, stating he is not concerned about facing charges.
"I’m not an agent of a foreign power. Unlike a lot of people commenting on US politics and global affairs, I have only one loyalty and that’s the United States," Carlson affirmed in the video. He also addressed the financial aspects of FARA, emphasizing that he has never accepted money from a foreign nation, adding, "Don’t need it, don’t want it." Carlson characterized his communications with foreign nationals as a routine and essential part of his professional work, declaring, "It’s literally what I do for a living, and I’m not gonna stop that." He reiterated his belief that "Legally, I think the case is ludicrous, and I doubt it’ll even become a case."
Beyond the specific legal framework, Carlson suggested that his public criticism of Israel may have contributed to him becoming a target for such an investigation. He stated, "[There are] some people who are mad at me for my views about Israel and they have some latitude." He further alleged that criminal referrals of this nature are often utilized to justify surveillance warrants on American citizens. "One of the reasons they pass on criminal complaints in effect to law enforcement is to justify warrants for spying on Americans," Carlson claimed.
Carlson also suggested that such investigations are strategically launched to facilitate leaks to the media, thereby aiming to "humiliate and terrorize the 'subject of the operation.'" He drew a parallel to a 2021 incident during his tenure at Fox News, where he alleged the National Security Agency (NSA) intercepted his text messages with another American citizen while he was attempting to arrange an interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He claimed those messages were subsequently leaked to news outlets in an effort to derail the interview.
Carlson clarified that his decision to go public with these allegations was not driven by personal grievance. "I’m not making this video to complain about it, or whine, or ask for money… I’m saying it because it’s true, and you should know what your own government is doing," he asserted. He concluded his commentary with a broader reflection on the relationship between conflict and civil liberties, observing, "It’s just the nature of war, people are dying, the stakes are high. There’s much less tolerance for any kind of dissent in the homeland."
These allegations surface amid a public disagreement between Carlson and President Donald Trump. Carlson had previously criticized President Trump's strikes on Iran, calling them "absolutely disgusting and evil" in an interview with ABC News. President Trump responded sharply to Carlson's comments on March 5, telling ABC News, "Tucker’s lost his way. I knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that." The CIA has not publicly commented on Carlson's claims.
