I tip my cap to Tucker Carlson, whose new show on Fox News Channel (7 PM Eastern) has become must-see TV. Using his unique combination of charm and wit, he has turned the first segment of his show into a fascinating inquiry into the mental state of the American left. Tucker’s modus operandi is to invite leftists on his show to talk about what they have written. After thanking them in a way that seems utterly sincere, he wields a stiletto, asking the interviewee to justify what he or she has written.

Now, I do not know Kurt Eichenwald, so any opinions I venture about him are my own surmises, and in no way are they statements or allegations of factual matters. But yesterday on Fox News, he gave me the impression of a man in a serious mental crisis, refusing to answer questions directly, but rather going off on tangents, and then, in the end, speaking about a secret message from the CIA.

Ian Schwartz of Real Clear Politics summarizes. But please, dear readers, allocate nine minutes to watch the video embedded below, for in it you can see the effects of Trump Derangement Syndrome in full blossom.

Tucker Carlson confronted Newsweek senior writer Kurt Eichenwald on the Thursday broadcast of his FOX News show for various attacks and claims he has made about Donald Trump and his family in his writings and on Twitter. Carlson said he has used "dumbass" to describe Trump supporters, said conservatives hate America, and more. Eichenwald said examples Carlson gave were "taken out of context" and asked for more examples from the host. Carlson cited one claim the writer has made: Donald Trump was institutionalized in 1990 for a mental breakdown and refuses to release his medical records. "Do you see the irony that one day you're criticizing the press for being lazy and inaccurate and the next day you yourself are being lazy and inaccurate," Carlson told him. "I knew from people inside the Trump Organization that they were deeply concerned about his condition that he was getting reckless, that he was getting impulsive. That he wasn't sleeping. That he was speaking with these sort of great variations of grandeur that he could do anything. And in 1990, because he did so many deals that were so reckless, his whole empire was going into bankruptcy. And he was going through a divorce. And I was told that there was -- now, let me say, I'm talking about reporting process. So I'm saying here is what I was told," Eichenwald explained. "Was he in a mental hospital or not in 1990? He alleged that he was. Was he or wasn't he?" Carlson asked. Eichenwald went on several tangents and at one point whipped out a binder titled 'Tucker Carlson Falsehoods' and threatened he would use it against the FOX News host on the internet.

This is one of my favorite moments in this landmark interview. Obviously, Eichenwald was prepared to go on the attack, but the idea that he would threaten an interviewer asking him to back up his claims by whipping out a printed binder is hilarious. As Tucker’s facial expression reveals.

When pressed for evidence Eichenwald filibustered several times and accused Carlson of not letting him speak and explain himself. Unfortunately for Eichenwald by the time the segment came to its conclusion, after given ample time, he was unable to substantiate his claim that the president-elect spent time in a mental sanatorium for amphetamine abuse.



"I'll give you 30-seconds to answer this question: do you have evidence that he was institutionalized in a mental hospital in 1990?" Carlson asked one more time before the segment concluded



Eichenwald used his time to speak about the CIA and fallen agents.

I was waiting for him to move on to what the voices in his head were telling him. But alas, the segment ran out of time.

Now, believe it or not, it got even more nutso after the interview was over. Eichenwald took to Twitter with a flurry of tweets and then deleted them. Lori Z of Twitchy follows the action. Did a lawyer tell Eichenwald to delete his tweets?

Also puzzling is the picture Eichenwald uses for his Twitter account, which bears little resemblance to the man seen on Fox News last night. A tweet from #Hashtagsmatter shows the contrast:

Me at the beginning of 2016 vs me at the end of 2016 pic.twitter.com/9tsLXm5eZ5 — #HashtagsMatter (@AdsByFlaherty) December 16, 2016

The American Left is clearly in crisis, with mental health becoming an issue on a mass level.

Watch the whole thing. You won’t be sorry: