Fox News host Tucker Carlson doubled down on his criticism of Democrats who hate America, again singling out Senator Tammy Duckworth and calling her a “coward.”

Carlson explained that he had hoped to have a debate with Duckworth (D-IL) on his show, to discuss the removal of the statues of America’s Founding Fathers. “We wanted to have an exchange like that with Tammy Duckworth tonight. So we called her office, and we invited her on the show,” he explained. “Her flack informed us that before even considering our request, we must first issue a public apology for criticizing Tammy Duckworth.”

“In other words, ‘I will not debate you until first you admit you’re completely wrong,'” Carlson continued. “Keep in mind, Tammy Duckworth is not a child, at least not technically,” he added. “She is a sitting United States Senator, who is often described as a hero. Yet Duckworth is too afraid to defend her own statements on a cable TV show. What a coward.”

Tucker’s ire was raised originally when Senator Duckworth suggested she’d be open to the idea of removing statues of founding fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Her beliefs are not exactly limited, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also suggesting there should be a conversation about doing so. “Can you really lead a country that you hate?” Carslon asked. “Ask yourself, what kind of parent would you be if you hated your children?”

“We cannot let them [Democrats] run this nation because they hate it. Imagine what they would do to it,” he wondered.

Duckworth is a combat veteran of the Iraq War, where she suffered severe wounds leading to the loss of both of her legs and some mobility in her right arm. Her service and sacrifice to this country can never be questioned. But that doesn’t mean she’s immune to criticism, and hiding behind that service is not, as Carlson suggests, what an adult would do.

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Is Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw immune to criticism in the media because of his combat injuries? Does nobody recall Obama supporters and the media mocking the late John McCain for being unable to lift his arms to type on a computer? Of course not.

Tucker even predicted that he would receive backlash for criticizing Duckworth because she’s “off-limits,” saying, “You’re not supposed to criticize Tammy Duckworth in any way because she once served in the military. Most people just ignore her.”

Just as he said, Duckworth’s only response to the charge of hating America has been to…shame Carlson over her disability. “Does [Tucker Carlson] want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America?” she tweeted. 

No, he’s made it very clear what he’d like to ask. “Our first question would be, how can you lead a country you despise?” Tucker posited. “And that’s not something we would ask only to Tammy Duckworth, by the way. Hating America is a major theme in the Democratic Party right now. It’s everywhere. Turn on the TV.”

This piece originally appeared in ThePoliticalInsider.com and is used by permission.

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