Tucker Carlson, a former host of Fox News, claimed that any Republican senator who opposes President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard to be the director of national intelligence is an “enemy” of the United States.
The media magnate delivered his comments at a Turning Point USA convention in Phoenix, along with the president-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and former top Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
Carlson, a longtime supporter of Gabbard, recently caused a stir when he spoke with far-left economist Jeffrey Sachs about Israel and Syria. Carlson challenged the dominant narrative in his interview with Sachs earlier this week, posing, “Why am I required to hate Assad?”
“Tulsi Gabbard went and met with Assad. She’s been attacked ever since. Has anyone ever explained why Americans should hate Assad?” Carlson asked of Sachs, the latter of whom spent much of the interview attacking U.S. intelligence agencies.
Carlson told the crowd of young event attendees in Arizona, “She served in the U.S. military for 20 years. So, by the way, if she was a foreign agent, how exactly was she carrying a gun in the U.S. military? It’s absurd.”
“You will know who’s on which side by the reaction of Tulsi Gabbard. If there are Republican senators who are voting against Tulsi Gabbard confirmation, then either in the Intel committee or in the open Senate, you will know that person is not only my enemy as someone who voted for change, for openness, for transparency, for an end to corruption, for draining of the swamp,” Carlson said. “You know, that person is an enemy of the United States. Period.”
“It’s really that simple. And you will get the same story. It’s national security. We can’t let our enemies know. We can’t trust Tulsi Gabbard. No, we can’t trust you,” Carlson concluded.
Gabbard, who is still serving in the Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel, has deployed to Iraq and Kuwait.
After running unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, she left Congress and the party and has since registered as a Republican. Reports say she faces a tough confirmation battle in the Senate.
Reuters reported this week that “eight Republican senators are unsure about supporting former Democratic member of Congress Tulsi Gabbard to become America’s top spy, according to a Trump transition source and a second source with knowledge of the issue, increasing doubts about whether her nomination will secure Senate confirmation.”
Trump has countered opposition to his picks by reminding hesitant Republicans of his historic win over Vice President Kamala Harris, which delivered the GOP the White House, Senate, and House in what is widely seen as a clear mandate victory.
In a speech at Trump’s massive pre-election rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Gabbard said that voting for Democrat nominee Kamala Harris would be like voting for war.
To start her speech, she read from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that our Creator has endowed us with certain unalienable Rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“As we gather here today on this historic occasion, we stand together as proud Americans in understanding that these very rights are under attack,” she said. “So we face this historic crossroads where our freedom and our future is in our hands. There’s never been a more clear choice in any election in my life, and our ability to live in a truly peaceful and free and prosperous country is on the line.”
Gabbard talked about her 20 years in the U.S. military and said that going to war was “very personal” to her.
“A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for a man who wants to end wars, not start them, and who has demonstrated already that he has the courage and strength to stand up and fight for peace,” she added. “A vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for open borders, where known violent criminals and Islamist terrorists are streaming across our borders, placing us at risk.”
