Dead Drop: February 16

TUCKERED OUT: We admit we did not have the energy to watch all of Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin. OK, we didn’t have the vigor to watch any of it.  But we DID find on line (thanks to the Kremlin) a transcript of the two-hour-plus long “conversation.” We mustered the strength to scan that.  Here are a few of our takeaways: (1) Putin has no concept of time.  At the start of the interview, he told Carlson that would take “one 30 seconds or one minute” to give him some historical background on Russia. About 30 minutes later was still marching through events that started in the 13th century…and had not reached modern times. (2) Shortly after Putin came to office in 2000, he says he asked President Clinton about the possibility of Russia joining NATO. (Apparently, he got a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” answer.) (3) Carlson asked if Putin thought that the CIA had been trying to overthrow his government around that time and he said: “Of course” saying that the Agency was working with “terrorists” who were fighting Russia in the Caucasus. (4) Putin says the CIA DID manage to conduct a bloodless coup in Kiev which resulted in the ouster of Ukrainian President Yanukovych in 2014 (who fled to Russia.) Putin poked Carlson by noting reports that Tucker once wanted to join the CIA and adding “Maybe we should thank God they didn’t let you in. Although, it is a serious organization. (5) Putin said he couldn’t remember when he last talked with President Biden (perhaps Vlad is “an elderly man with memory issues.”)  (6) Putin also name checks current CIA Director Bill Burns noting that he was once Ambassador to Russia saying, “in my opinion, a very successful Ambassador.” (7) In response to a question about “who blew up Nord Stream?” Putin hints that it was CIA or NATO. (8) At the end, Carlson made a pitch for Putin to release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Putin said Gershkovich “is not just a journalist, I reiterate, he is a journalist who was secretly getting confidential information.” There is undoubtedly a lot more news in the interview but again, we just didn’t have the energy to dig further.

KNOW WHO ELSE WAS NOT IMPRESSED?  Putin told Russian media on Valentine’s Day that he was not in love with the questions he got from Carlson. “To be honest, I thought that he would behave aggressively and ask so-called sharp questions. I was not just prepared for this, I wanted it, because it would give me the opportunity to respond in the same way,” Putin said in comments to a Russian interviewer on Wednesday. Putin also said he was surprised that Carlson did not interrupt him more – and after looking at the transcript – we kinda agree.