Tucker Carlson’s criticism of Janet Yellen backfired after he said a video of her comments was from 2007 when it was actually from 2017, leading commentators to accuse him of lying.
“It’s not the first time she’s wrong. Here she was in 2007, a year before the Great Recession,” the Fox News host said before playing a clip of the Treasury secretary clearly stating it was from 2017.
“Our mistake, it was 2017,” Carlson said as soon as the clip ended.
On social media, commentators lashed out at the Fox anchor.
“How could Tucker realize it was 2017 and not 2007 while the clip was running? He knew it was 2017 when he ran it and he must have lied on purpose,” one user wrote.
“Tucker Carlson admits he lies to the public, I don’t understand how any conservative could believe anything this grifter says,” another user wrote.
“Decade saves time,” said another user.
The Treasury Secretary told the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday that the US banking system was “sound” and Americans could feel “confident” about their deposits in the wake of the second-largest bank collapse in US history late last week.
This was the first appearance by an official at the Capitol after Joe Biden said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation would protect uninsured money at Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, a move some observers criticized as a “bailout.”
Speaking at the start of a hearing to examine Mr Biden’s budget request for the Treasury Department over the next fiscal year, Ms Yellen said the decision showed the administration’s “determination” to maintain American confidence in the nation’s financial system.
“The administration took decisive and forceful action to strengthen public confidence” in the US banking system, Ms Yellen said. “I can assure the members of the committee that our banking system remains sound and that Americans can feel confident that their deposits will be there when they need them.”