CNN’s Brianna Keilar, Brooke Baldwin Rip Tucker Carlson For Sen. Duckworth Attack: He’s ‘Never Risked Life or Limb to Defend’
In back-to-back hours, CNN anchors Brianna Keilar and Brooke Baldwin ripped into Fox News host Tucker Carlson for calling Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) a “moron” and “coward.”
Carlson attacked Duckworth for declining to appear on his prime time program to debate her comments on removing statues, after he also claimed that she hates America.
“Her flak informed us that before even considering our request, we must first issue a public apology for criticizing Tammy Duckworth,” Carlson said Tuesday night. “In other words, I will not debate you until first you admit you are completely wrong. Keep in mind, Tammy Duckworth is not a child, at least not technically, she is a sitting United States senator often described as a hero. Yet Duckworth is too afraid to defend her own statements on a cable TV show. What a coward.”
His comments have received criticism from a series of CNN hosts, including John Avlon, who laced into the Fox star on New Day Wednesday morning.
“Where oh where, did he get the idea this was a good strategy?” Keilar said just before 2 p.m., before comparing Carlson’s attack on Duckworth to Donald Trump’s bitter feud with John McCain. “A sound argument? When did conservatives start questioning the patriotism of someone who lost their limbs in service of the United States? Because they disagree on an issue?”
The CNN anchor then noted that Duckworth is a potential VP pick for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, and that she was awarded a Purple Heart for losing both of her legs in combat.
“Disagreement is American,” Keilar continued. “That’s what members of the military serve for. They’ll tell you over and over that they’re there to protect American freedoms. But maybe Tucker Carlson doesn’t know that because a war of words is the only place that he will ever wage battle.”
Keilar is married to Fernando Lujan, a former director in the White House Security Council who also served in the military.
Just before 4 p.m. EST, Baldwin took aim at Carlson as well. She used the final moments of her show to detail Duckworth’s military history and rip into Carlson for doubting her patriotism.
“It’s not the critic who counts, especially when that critic uses his prime time television perch to criticize someone who lost limbs for this country,” Baldwin said. “The critic who has never served a day in his life has decided that the junior United States Senator from Illinois, Tammy Duckworth, despises America.”
“She has spent every single day since that accident in the continued service of the country in the Army National Guard, in the VA, and in the Senate,” Baldwin continued. “For the country, a certain television critic has never risked life or limb to defend.”
The chyron that aired under Baldwin didn’t mention Carlson by name: “SENATOR, IRAQ WAR VET AND PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT RESPONDS AFTER MAN WITH NO RECORD OF PUBLIC SERVICE SAYS SHE HATES AMERICA.”
Watch above, via CNN.
