Illinois Senator and U.S. military veteran Tammy Duckworth fired back at Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a tweet after he questioned her patriotism.
Carlson’s attacks on Duckworth were prompted by an interview she gave on CNN’s State of the Union last Sunday. In the interview, Duckworth was asked about her thoughts on removing historical monuments of the founding fathers. She said America should have a “national dialogue” about whether historical monuments, like the statue of George Washington, should be taken down.
On Monday, a day after Duckworth’s interview, Carlson criticized her comments on his Fox News show calling her “a deeply silly and unimpressive person.”
“A national dialogue,” Carlson said. “Please. They’re not looking for colloquy. What they want is a soliloquy. We speak, you shut up and listen.”
He said it is a “strong charge” to question someone’s patriotism, admitting he tries not to do it himself. But as he continued to criticize Duckworth, he claimed that the veteran actually hates America.
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“These people actually hate America… and yet paradoxically at the same time they desperately want to control America,” Carlson said.
Duckworth responded in a tweet, writing, “Does @TuckerCarlson want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America?”
In 2004, Duckworth lost both of her legs and partial use of her right arm in a helicopter accident when she served in Iraq. According to Daily Mail, Duckworth would spend 23 years in the Illinois Army National Guard retiring as a lieutenant colonel and as a former captain. She also received a Purple Heart for her combat injuries. Duckworth retired in 2014, and now serves as a junior senator from Illinois.
In Sunday’s CNN interview, Duckworth also stated that all perspectives should be listened to when making a decision about taking down historical monuments. However, she added it is important to remember that the country stands on stolen land.
When asked about the removal of monuments, Duckworth shifted the topic to COVID-19 and the thousands of lives lost because of the pandemic. She said the president’s priorities are not in order.
“[Trump] should be talking about what we’re going to do to overcome this pandemic,” she said to CNN. “And instead, he had no time for that. He spent all his time talking about dead traitors.”
Carlson continued his criticism of Duckworth on Tuesday night, calling her a “coward” and a “fraud.”
He added that he had invited Duckworth to appear as a guest on his show but was told by her spokesperson that she would not consider appearing until he issued an apology for his Monday night comments.
According to SF Gate, two Democratic Senators who recently appeared on Fox News as guests have condemned Carlson’s sustained attacks.
“Tucker Carlson’s comments were reprehensible, and I have no interest in appearing on his hateful, pro-Trump propaganda show,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. “His baseless attacks on decorated war veteran Tammy Duckworth are just another attempt to distract Americans from the facts and the truth of Donald Trump’s failed leadership.”
Duckworth is also a potential vice presidential nominee. The Biden campaign released a statement condemning Carlson’s comments.
“Tucker Carlson and his colleagues who traffic in hate speech masquerading as journalism are accomplices to Donald Trump’s perverse mission to use division and bitterness to tear this country apart,” a campaign spokesperson for the Joe Biden campaign stated.
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