Straka credits Tucker Carlson for aiding in his Jan. 6 story.

How Tucker Carlson Helped the Founder of the WalkAway Campaign

Brandon Straka, the founder of the WalkAway campaign, credits former Fox News primetime host Tucker Carlson with giving him a voice and being someone he could talk to at a time when no one else would.

Straka’s WalkAway campaign had gained momentum and media attention for its calls for liberals to leave the Democratic Party. However, after he was charged and placed under house arrest for his involvement in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, few outlets would report on his case.

But Carlson was one of the few people who was willing to speak with him. Straka wrote a Facebook post on April 24—the day Fox News announced Carlson’s departure from the network—crediting the political commentator with being there for him during a difficult time.

“For the guy who was known for traveling the country and rallying people coast to coast, it was devastating to be stuck inside 1,500 square feet feeling like my life was falling apart,” Straka wrote in his April 24 Facebook post. “During those months I reached out over and over again to many of my media contacts who told me they would not be willing to have me on to talk about what happened to me. I felt abandoned by so many and siloed.”

Straka eventually wrote a four-page letter to Carlson, who after a couple of weeks responded, “Brandon, it’s Tucker Carlson. I just read your letter which shocked and upset me.”

Carlson then invited Straka on for an interview last year to discuss his story. During that interview, Straka described his home being raided by an FBI tactical team over a “petty offense” and said misdemeanor Jan. 6 cases “are being treated like felonies.”

Straka told NTD News that Carlson continued to talk to him after their interview and would always provide a thoughtful response.

Here are the charges Straka faced and the sentence he received:

• Impeding law enforcement officers
• Entering restricted grounds and/or engaging in disorderly conduct to impede government business
• Engaging in disorderly conduct during a session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2021

Straka was not accused of entering the Capitol building but was alleged to have cheered on demonstrators who were entering the building and some who tried to take a police officer’s riot shield. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a Class B misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct during a session of Congress and was sentenced to three months of house arrest, a $5,000 fine, and three years of probation.

Straka’s story is a reminder that even in difficult times, there are people who will stand by you and give you a voice.