News commentator Tucker Carlson admitted on an episode of MSNBC Live that aired August 28 to having assaulted a man who he said "bothered" him in a Washington, D.C., restroom when he was in high school. His statement came amid discussion of the recent scandal involving Idaho senator Larry Craig's arrest for lewd conduct in an airport men's room.
When host Dan Abrams asked how Carlson responded to the incident, Carlson said, "I went back with someone I knew and grabbed the guy by the -- you know, and grabbed him, and...hit him against the stall with his head, actually.... And then the cops came and arrested him."
He went on to say that men cruising for sex in bathrooms is a prevalent problem and that he avoids taking his son to public restrooms because of "all [those] creepy guys hanging around in there."
Wednesday morning, after the blogosphere filled with criticism for Carlson's having resorted to violence in such a situation, he e-mailed the TVNewser blog to elaborate.
"Several bloggers have characterized this is a sort of gay bashing," he said in the e-mail. "That's absurd, and an insult to anybody who has fought back against an unsolicited sexual attack. I wasn't angry with the man because he was gay. I was angry because he assaulted me."
Another part of the MSNBC program included Carlson and Joe Scarborough assuring viewers that they are not gay. (The Advocate)
