Tucker Carlson said his lawyers advised him against interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month, warning he could be arrested upon his return to the United States for violation of sanctions.
Carlson commented on his interview with Putin during a Tuesday appearance on artificial intelligence researcher Lex Fridman's podcast.
Fridman asked if he felt there were things he should avoid discussing with the Russian president during his interview out of fear for his safety.
"I mean it when I say I felt not one twinge of concern for the eight days that I was there," Carlson responded, insisting he had a "strong gut sense."
Carlson said his lawyers also warned he could be arrested upon his return to the United States for violating sanctions against Russia.
"I don't recognize the legitimacy of that actually, 'cause I'm American, and I've lived here my whole life, and that’s so outrageous that I'm happy to face that risk because I so reject the premise," he said of his lawyer's warning. "I'm an American. I should be able to talk to anyone I want to, and I plan to exercise that freedom, which I think I was born with."
Carlson said he spent a large sum of money for his legal counsel's advice on his potential interview with Putin.
In another phone call with the law firm's head lawyer, Carlson was warned "a lot will depend" on the questions Carlson asked Putin.
"If you're seen as too nice to him, you could get arrested when you come back," the lawyer reportedly told Carlson.
"You're describing a fascist country," Carlson added of the lawyer's warning. "You're saying that the U.S. government will arrest me if I don't ask the questions that they want asked."
Carlson said he also wasn't afraid of being arrested in Moscow.
"Ignorance does protect you, sort of, when you have no freakin' idea what’s going on. You're not worried about it," Carlson said, laughing. "So it’s completely possible that I was in grave peril and didn't know it. 'Cause like, how would I know it? I'm like a bumbling English speaker from California."
Carlson reiterated he didn't fear for his safety despite his lawyer's warnings.
The former Fox News host also said his communications were surveilled by the United States government.
"I know that because two New York Times reporters, one of whom I actually like a lot, said ... and called other people," he said. "I hadn't told anybody that. Like anybody [besides] my wife [and] two producers. That’s it."
Carlson said his meeting with former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden, who fled to Russia after leaking proof that the NSA surveilled citizens' private communications, was also leaked to reporters by the United States government.
"My interest is the United States and preserving freedoms here, the ones that I grew up with," he said. "And if you have a media establishment that acts as an auxiliary of, or acts as employees of, the national security state, you don't have a free country."
