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FBI agents\u00a0raided<\/a> the Tampa home of\u00a0Tim Burke<\/strong>, a former journalist who runs a media and political consulting firm, at 6 a.m. on May 8 and spent nearly 10 hours seizing computers, a phone, and other electronic equipment. At the time, Burke declined to share the search warrant with media outlets, and the FBI refused to provide any information about the raid.\u00a0<\/p>\n But on Friday, the Tampa Bay Times<\/em>\u00a0reported<\/a> that the raid was connected to leaked clips of former Fox News host\u00a0Tucker Carlson<\/strong>\u00a0that went viral over the past year.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Times<\/em>\u00a0reportedly obtained a letter sent by U.S. assistant attorney\u00a0Jay Trezevant<\/strong>\u00a0to Fox News that describes an ongoing criminal probe into hacks at the company. Though the letter doesn\u2019t mention Burke or accuse him of any wrongdoing, the\u00a0Times<\/em>\u00a0was able to confirm that the raid was related to the probe. Burke declined to comment after the\u00a0Times<\/em> contacted him and read parts of the letter.\u00a0<\/p>\n The criminal probe, the\u00a0Times<\/em>\u00a0reports, \u201cconcerns allegations of unauthorized computer access; interception of wire, oral or electronic communication; conspiracy; and other federal crimes.\u201d According to the letter, the hacked material refers to footage of Carlson published by Vice and Media Matters for America. The Vice\u00a0clip<\/a>, published in October, includes parts of an interview Carlson conducted with rapper Ye<\/strong>, formerly known as Kanye West<\/strong>, that were cut from the ultimate broadcast in which the artist made a number of antisemitic statements.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Media Matters\u00a0clips<\/a> were published in quick succession during the week after Carlson\u2019s ouster in April. They capture the former host making a number of vulgar comments, including proposing to discuss \u201cthe fine points” of sexual technique with British newscaster\u00a0Piers Morgan<\/strong>, calling a Dominion Voting Systems lawyer a \u201cslimy little motherfucker,\u201d and asking his makeup artist about pillow fights in the women\u2019s bathroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n The federal prosecutor\u2019s letter specifies that neither media company is accused of any wrongdoing, according to the\u00a0Times.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n The leaked footage has caused major headaches for Fox leadership.\u00a0The Daily Beast<\/em>\u00a0reported<\/a> that Fox executives were \u201cfull-on freaked out\u201d about the Ye footage, and in early May, a Fox lawyer sent Media Matters a cease-and-desist letter, demanding it remove the leaked videos. The liberal media watchdog refused, and the clips\u00a0remain<\/a> on the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cReporting on newsworthy leaked material is a cornerstone of journalism. For Fox to argue otherwise is absurd and further dispels any pretense that they\u2019re a news operation,\u201d Media Matters president\u00a0Angelo Carusone<\/strong> wrote in a statement at the time. \u201cPerhaps if I tell them that the footage came from a combination of WikiLeaks and\u00a0Hunter Biden<\/strong>\u2019s laptop, it will alleviate their concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n Around the time of the raid, Burke\u2019s wife, Tampa City Council member\u00a0Lynn Hurtak<\/strong>, said the warrant was \u201csolely related to my husband\u2019s work as a journalist.\u201d Burke worked from 2018 to 2019 as a video director for\u00a0The Daily Beast<\/em>, where much of his\u00a0work<\/a> focused on right-wing media. In a 2022 Netflix documentary, Burke revealed that he\u2019d once been part of the online hacking group Anonymous. \u201cI developed a reputation as somebody who finds things,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since the raid, Burke\u2019s 100-plus follower Twitter account has been dormant, and his personal and business websites no longer work, the\u00a0Times<\/em>\u00a0reported<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n