Prairie State Wire

In a recent "Tucker Carlson Tonight" segment posted to YouTube, Fox News personality Tucker Carlson took Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) to task for being open to discussion about removing statues of George Washington, and for stating her opinion of President Donald Trump’s July 4 speech at Mt. Rushmore.

Duckworth said in an interview that Trump “spent all his time talking about dead traitors,” which was the first claim that Carlson took up.

“George Washington, Clara Barton, Jackie Robinson, they are all, according to Tammy Duckworth, ‘dead traitors,’ Carlson said. "Pretty shocking. In case you think we're being unfair here, in the same interview, Sen. Duckworth was asked if we should tear down statues to George Washington. ‘Sure,’ She responded. ‘Let's talk about it.’ We played that tape for you last night and we noted how grotesque it was. Only someone who hates the country would suggest ripping down monuments to its founder.”

When Duckworth saw what Carlson said, she questioned Fox News’ right to criticize her, he said, because “she was once injured while serving in the Illinois Army National Guard.”

Senator Duckworth lost both legs and partial use of one arm in active combat duty in Iraq as a helicopter pilot, earning a Purple Heart for her injuries. Duckworth obtained a medical waiver to serve in the National Guard after recovering her Irag War injuries. 

Carlson pointed out that George Washington also served in the military, fighting in two wars, and in 1777, lost almost a quarter of his entire army to cold and malnutrition, and would today be considered a combat veteran.

 “George Washington was a genuinely great man, but to morons like Tammy Duckworth. Washington is just some old white guy who needs to be erased,” Carlson said.  “Let's tear down his statues, rename our capital city, Sharpton or Mandela, and let the revolution continue. But hold on. Not so fast. Changes that profound deserve a debate, not some fake national conversation where they scream commands at you and you get to obey.”

Carlson invited Duckworth to appear on his show and have that exchange, but when his team reached out, a representative of Duckworth’s office said that Duckworth wanted a public apology for criticizing her.

“No words. ‘I will not debate you until first you admit you're completely wrong.’ Keep in mind, Tammy Duckworth is not a child, at least not technically. 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. Tammy Duckworth is also a fraud,” Carlson said.

He also told a story of whistleblowers from the a Veteran’s Administration hospital in Illinois approaching Duckworth to report widespread mistreatment of veterans.  

“The whistleblowers met with Tammy Duckworth three times. She refused to help them, according to a cardiologist who attended those meetings. Duckworth dismissed the systemic cruelty inflicted on dying veterans by saying that, quote, 'That's just how it is at the VA,'” Carlson said.  “The whistleblowers were horrified by her response. Ultimately, in frustration, they took their story to the media and it became a national scandal. This is the person lecturing the rest of us about her moral authority as a veteran. Spare us.”

He wrapped up his segment on Sen. Duckworth with these words:

“Tammy Duckworth is a callous hack who ignored the suffering of actual veterans when it actually mattered. She has no moral authority. She is just a politician like the rest of them. She works for us. This is a democracy. She has an obligation to explain herself and answer our questions. And our first question will be, how can you lead a country you despise? And this is something we would ask only to Tammy Duckworth.”