Trump Voter Sues Fox News After Tucker Carlson Lies Ruined His Life

Ray Epps, a two-time Trump voter from Arizona who found himself at the center of a wild Jan. 6 conspiracy, is suing Fox News for defamation.

The lawsuit alleges that the network, particularly its former star host Tucker Carlson, painted Epps as an undercover federal agent in order to push a conspiracy that the FBI helped orchestrate the riot at the Capitol in order to vilify Trump and his supporters.

“In the aftermath of the events of January 6th, Fox News searched for a scapegoat to blame other than Donald Trump or the Republican Party,” the suit reads. “Eventually, they turned on one of their own, telling a fantastical story in which Ray Epps — who was a Trump supporter that participated in the protests on January 6th — was an undercover FBI agent and was responsible for the mob that violently broke into the Capitol and interfered with the peaceful transition of power for the first time in this country’s history.”

The conspiracy theory, which Carlson pushed repeatedly on his show, stems from a video of Epps telling protesters the night before the attack to peacefully enter the Capitol the following day. Onlookers then start chanting “Fed! Fed! Fed!” Epps is also seen on video on Jan. 6 encouraging people to march to the Capitol. Epps has not been arrested for his involvement, and Carlson and others have alleged the Justice Department is protecting him because he was working for the FBI.

The lawsuit — which was filed in the same Delaware court as the defamation suit Fox settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million — alleges that Epps got caught up in the narrative that the election was stolen. “Epps is a poorly cast villain for Fox and Mr. Carlson,” it reads. “Prior to 2022, Epps had consistently voted Republican. He is a former Marine who voted for Donald Trump twice. He was an avid and loyal Fox viewer and a fan of Mr. Carlson’s. When Fox, through its on-air personalities and guests, told its audience that the 2020 election had been stolen, Epps was listening. He believed Fox. And when Epps kept hearing that Trump supporters should let their views be known on January 6th in Washington, D.C., Epps took that to heart.”

Carlson’s lies have totally upended Epps’ life, with the lawsuit noting that he and his wife have “received threatening voicemails, emails, and text messages.” The Epps had to hire security to protect their farm in Arizona, but the harassment became so intense that they were forced to move at great personal cost. Epps wife even had to give up her dog breeding business. “The emotional and psychological effects of the threats and attacks cannot be overstated,” the lawsuit reads. “Indeed, they may very well dwarf the economic consequences.”

Carlson’s lies about Jan. 6 have spread well beyond Fox. Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee pushed the idea that the FBI was behind the attack during a hearing on Wednesday featuring FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This notion that somehow the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and agents is ludicrous,” Wray said when asked about Epps.

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