Tammy Duckworth Speaks Out on Tucker Carlson: I Would Go Back Into Combat to ‘Defend His Right to Be Odious’
Senator Tammy Duckworth appeared on CNN Tuesday and briefly commented on Tucker Carlson’s recent comments about her.
To recap: Duckworth was asked a few weeks ago if she supported taking down statues of George Washington. She said, “I think we should listen to everybody.” Carlson went off that segment to accuse Democrats like Duckworth of hating America.
Duckworth responded and there was a brief back-and-forth that ensued, including a segment where Carlson called her a “moron” and a “coward.”
CNN’s Brianna Keilar — who was appalled by Carlson’s comments — spoke with the senator Tuesday and asked her about it.
“He questioned your patriotism as a combat veteran who lost your legs in Iraq. And I just wonder what your reaction is not only to that but also the fact that we are hearing these kinds of attacks on people who are clearly patriots more and more and I wonder what you think about that,” Keilar said.
Duckworth responded:
When you love the Constitution and you love this country as much as I do, so much so that you’re willing to lay down your life to protect and defend her, then you must agree to defend the rights of the likes of Tucker Carlson to lie about you. I truly believe in freedom of speech, that it is enshrined in the Constitution. Of course I don’t want statues of George Washington torn down any more than I would want the Purple Heart that he founded ripped from my chest, but I will defend the right for Tucker Carlson to be the obnoxious person that he is and to lie about me, because that’s what our country is all about. And if you truly love America and you truly love the Constitution, then you have to stand up for, people’s right to express their opinions, even loathsome ones that are lies that you don’t agree with.
She added if she was called up today, she would go back to combat “to defend his right to be odious.”
“While he’s out fishing,” she added with a laugh.
Duckworth was referring to the vacation Carlson took last week following the controversy over racist and sexist online posts from his now-former head writer.
Carlson said it was a pre-planned vacation. When Keilar brought that up, Duckworth remarked, “We all leave on a trip on a Tuesday to go fishing, yes.”
Keilar asked her if she thinks she was singled out by Carlson because she’s in the mix to be Joe Biden’s running mate.
Duckworth said “I think he singled me out because I’m Asian-American and I look different,” bringing up how in one segment Carlson slammed both her and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
You can watch above, via CNN.
