Friday on Fox News Channel’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson criticized those on the left, including James Clapper and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, for questioning President Donald Trump’s decision to declassify information regarding the origins of the Mueller probe.

Partial transcript as follows:

The FBI has a lot more power than any single government agency. Its agents can legally break down your front door and shoot you. Its investigations can destroy your life even if you are innocent. It has happened to a lot of people recently. So the FBI absolutely must be above suspicion. If you sincerely cared about preserving our democracy as they claim they do, then you would immediately disinfect the FBI with sunlight. But James Clapper has no interest in doing that, neither does the rest of official Washington.

The only principle they care about is self-preservation, and they will say anything in its service. Congressman Adam Schiff of California responded to the declassification order this way, quote, “While Trump stonewalls the public from learning the truth about his obstruction of justice, Trump and Barr conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies. The cover-up has entered a new and dangerous phase. This is un-American.” End quote. Got that? Declassifying information is now a cover-up. It’s un-American. Keep in mind, this guy is the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Adam Schiff is a complete nut case.

His allies in the media though are certainly more subtle than that. They know that cover-up isn’t a plausible way to describe declassification. It’s laughable. So instead, they are going with the term “distraction.”