WASHINGTON Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) unexpectedly ripped Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, saying the far-right political commentator was to blame for Republicans souring on helping Ukraine defend itself against Russias invasion.

Shortly after the Senate voted to advance a bipartisan bill providing billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, McConnell was asked during a press conference why it took so long to get Republicans on board with this legislation. Congress has been trying to pass a Ukraine aid bill for months, but its been routinely opposed by a faction of GOP members.

The Kentucky Republican said the problem largely stemmed from one person: Carlson.

I think the demonization of Ukraine began by Tucker Carlson, who in my opinion ended up where he shouldve been all along, which is interviewing Vladimir Putin, McConnell said, referring to Carlsons disastrous interview with the Russian president in February.

He had an enormous audience, which convinced a lot of rank-and-file Republicans that maybe this was a mistake, he said of Carlson, who was let go from Fox News last year and now has a show on X, the platform previously known as Twitter.