Former Head of KKK David Duke Supports Tucker Carlson After White Supremacy 'Hoax' Claims

A former leader of the Ku Klux Klan is supporting Tucker Carlson after the Fox News host claimed that white supremacy isn't a real problem in America.

"This is just a hoax, like the Russia hoax," Carlson told his viewers tuning in to his show, Tucker Carlson Tonight, on Tuesday night. "It's a conspiracy theory used to divide the country and keep a hold on power."

The Fox News host also claimed that the "whole thing is a lie" and that "the combined membership of every white supremacist organization in this country would be able to fit inside a college football stadium."

Carlson's remarks came just days after a racially motivated mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. The attack killed 22 people and injured dozens more. The suspected gunman is believed to have authored a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto, which was posted online shortly before the shooting.

Carlson was immediately met with backlash for his claim that white supremacy is a conspiracy. Even a contributor for Fox News ripped the claim, tweeting that "you know who else believes white supremacy is not a real problem? White supremacists."

But he has found one supporter: David Duke, a former grand wizard of the KKK and a prominent white supremacist. Duke voiced his support of Carlson in a social media post shared to Twitter on Wednesday.

"Tucker is RIGHT!" Duke wrote. "White Supremacy is a ZioMedia Conspiracy Theory! The term is itself a lie. Millions of White activists are NOT 'supremacists' We seek NOT to oppress or destroy any race! Human Rights for all - EVEN FOR WHITE PEOPLE! Stop antiWhite racism!"

But government officials have recently acknowledged that domestic terrorism, especially white supremacy, is a rising threat in the United States.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress in July that domestic terrorism is just as equal a threat as international terrorism. Wray said that the bureau has already handled 100 cases in the first three quarters of 2019.

"I will say that a majority of the domestic terrorism cases we've investigated are motivated by some version of what you might call white supremacist violence," Wray told lawmakers.

In the wake of the mass shooting in El Paso, Homeland Security chief Kevin McAleenan said that the federal agency needed to "invest more" in combating white supremacist violence. He also agreed with Wray's assessment that white supremacy is an increasing threat to Americans.

"Well, we need to invest more — no question," McAleenan told CBS on Tuesday. He noted that he's asked Congress for additional funds to "bolster" a new office for targeted violence and terrorism prevention that deals with racially motivated attacks.

President Donald Trump met with victims in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio on Wednesday following the two mass shootings that killed a combined 31 people. As he departed the White House, Trump told reporters that he thinks his rhetoric "brings people together" and that he was "very concerned" about hate groups of any ideology.

His critics disagree, as many point to his anti-immigrant comments in the wake of the tragedies. A controversial video from a Trump rally in Florida this past May has resurfaced this week. The clip shows Trump smiling after a member of the audience suggested shooting migrants trying to cross the southern border.

In his broadcast on Tuesday evening, Carlson tried to insist that white supremacy isn't a danger to the U.S. because he's never personally met a white supremacist.

"I've lived here 50 years and I've never met anybody, not one person who ascribes to white supremacy," he said. "I don't know a single person who thinks that's a good idea."