It's worse for public figures to come out and say "Oh, I always knew he was a scumbag. Fuck him." than to play this "We were great pals, but he obviously went down a dark path somewhere along the line." tune. Because it otherwise invites the charge that you knew something, but did nothing (also disloyalty is an ugly trait in public). But this way, if one of his enemies were to then push "Well, you're obviously not a good judge of character then if you didn't know X was getting up to Y - why should we listen to you about anything else?", that then literally opens up every public figure to the same charge. Because 100% everyone in the media and politics, knowingly or unknowingly, is work buddies (at the very least) with absolute scum-of-the-earth monsters. It's a can of worms only delusional useful-idiot libtards will attempt to cut into, much to their own woe. "Clear and Present Danger" illustrated it back in the 90s. The media making scandalous associations between people is often a kind of trap to get one person to say something that can be spun to fit a developing narrative. It's not about seeking truth at all, so don't lose sleep over someone like Carlson seemingly being obtuse like this. There is no moral duty to aid a dishonest interlocutor in framing you.  Now, if he was fucking and torturing underage chinks with his great buddy Hunter, then by all means immolate him.