Tucker Carlson Claims Gay Bashed Him

After bragging on the air that he hit a gay man who “bothered” him in a mall bathroom, Tucker Carlson is angrily denying he’s a hate criminal. “It infuriates me to be called a gay-basher, since he was the predator, not me,” the conservative MSNBC host pled to the New York Daily News. Blog bedlam ensued after the broadcast Tuesday evening, and a prominent gay-rights group demanded an apology.

Carlson told his sordid story on "MSNBC Live" while defending Larry Craig’s right to be gay in private; but not his right to solicit partners in public washrooms. His assault on the cruiser, dating back two decades, happened 25 minutes after the pick-up attempt, he said, when Tucker returned to the scene of the insult with (presumably heterosexual) reinforcements. (More Tucker Carlson stories.)