Tucker Carlson Discusses George Floyd Footage: ‘Citizens Have A Right To Know Why Things Are Changing So Quickly’

Fox News host Tucker Carlson discussed recently released police bodycam footage reportedly showing some of the final moments before George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.

The footage, obtained and released Monday by British outlet The Daily Mail, purportedly shows Floyd struggling and arguing with officers before the infamous already-released footage of the Minneapolis black man laying under former officer Derek Chauvin’s knee.

“Floyd’s death has been used to justify a nationwide convulsion of violence, destruction, looting and in some cases killing — and all of that in addition to unprecedented levels of political upheaval. The wholesale reordering of our most basic institutions,” Carlson said, referring to ongoing riots and protests during Monday night’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” opening monologue. “Floyd’s death changed everything. It was a pivot point in American history. No matter what side you’re on, that’s very clear at this point.”

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Carlson contended that, while “it’s striking how little we really know, months later, about how exactly George Floyd died,” the “official storyline is clear,” and questioning it has become taboo.

“The media, meantime, aren’t that curious about gathering further details, and they’re actively hostile to anyone who is,” he said. “Ask too many inconvenient unauthorized questions about George Floyd and you’ll be banned from the internet. The catechism has been written and it’s in stone: ‘George Floyd is a martyr. Period. That’s all you need to know. Shut up.”

However, the Fox News host argued that free citizens “have a right to know why things are changing so quickly.”

“On what grounds are we dismantling police departments, rewriting curriculums, firing people from their jobs?” he asked. “What exactly is the basis of the cultural revolution that we’re all now living through?”

However, the Fox News host argued that free citizens “have a right to know why things are changing so quickly.”

Calling it “not a typical law enforcement interaction,” Carlson played footage from the recently released video reportedly showing Floyd being taken into custody by police before saying that it “seems obvious that Floyd is in some kind of physical distress in the video, even before police touch him.”

“And in fact, later reports showed that Floyd had a number of narcotics in his system, including more than enough fentanyl to die of an overdose,” said Carlson. “According to the autopsy, Floyd’s blood contained 11 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl. The report then notes this, quote, ‘Signs associated with fentanyl toxicity include severe respiratory depression, seizures, hypertension, coma and death. In fatalities from fentanyl, blood concentrations are variable and have been reported as low as 3 nanograms per milliliter.’”

“One of the best-known symptoms of fentanyl overdose, by the way, is shortness of breath,” he continued before showing another clip, this one of Floyd screaming and refusing to get in the police vehicle. “In the video, Floyd complains that he is having trouble breathing, famously, but he says this long before Officer Chauvin kneels on his neck.” (RELATED: American Flag, Bibles Reportedly Burned In Portland Riots)

“So the question is why haven’t we seen the rest of the video until right now?” the Fox News host asked rhetorically. “The video seems relevant, particularly considering all that happened next. And the answer is simple. Because Keith Ellison, the Attorney General of Minnesota, hid the video from the public.”

Carlson argued that the video would still be hidden “if it weren’t for a leak to a foreign newspaper.”

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