Tucker Carlson: ‘We Can Have Any Opinion We Feel Like Having — That Is Not Treason’

Monday, FNC host Tucker Carlson addressed his critics who claim Carlson’s skepticism of U.S. foreign policy regarding Russia and Ukraine was “treason.”

Carlson specifically referred to former Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe and Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), who have both suggested Carlson’s approach was worthy of scrutiny.

Transcript as follows:

CARLSON: Well, speaking of tyranny, it is a weird experience, but probably not entirely unexpected to be denounced as unpatriotic by people who despise our country. You see that a lot all of a sudden.

The very same politicians who claim the United States as systemically racist, a White supremacist hellscape defined by slavery. In other words, an evil nation. Those people are always the first to claim that you hate America if you dare to disagree with them. That happened to us over the weekend.

For months, we have criticized Joe Biden’s lunatic push for war with Russia, nothing about that make sense. It’s not foreign policy, it is self- harm and it is a lie.

Russia is not America’s greatest international rival by every measure, that is of course, China. Ukraine is not our vital ally. We have no legal or moral obligation to defend Ukraine’s territorial integrity even as we surrender our own to the rest of the world, letting millions in, in a single year. Ukraine is not even a democracy despite what Joe Biden endlessly claims.

Ukraine is a corrupt Eastern European autocracy that has spent millions of dollars lobbying politicians in Washington, and by the way made Joe Biden’s family rich.

Those are not Russian talking points, they are entirely true and because they are true, no one in the administration is willing to debate or rebut them, not for a second. Instead, they just call you a traitor. Here’s MSNBC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does it say that you have people like Tucker Carlson and FOX News, drumming up support for Putin?

REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D-RI): Yes, I mean, look, it’s not frustrating. It’s sickening. It’s un-American. This is the same person who went to Hungary to interview Viktor Orban.

But this is you know, a continuation of the propaganda machine of FOX. So, it’s not surprising but really, really disappointing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARLSON: So now it is quote “un-American” to defend America’s national interest. Shut up in support war with Russia. That was Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island. Cicilline has particularly exercise that this show had sought to interview Vladimir Putin.

NBC News interviewed Vladimir Putin not long ago, that was completely fine, but our efforts to do the same are not allowed. They are quote “un- American.” Joe Biden’s legal adviser, Larry Tribe agreed with this. On Twitter, he accused us of quote, “treason,” which is a former Harvard law professor who knows perfectly well is a death penalty offense. “Arrest the talk show host.”

So how seriously should we take this? Well, it is pretty clear where it’s going. First, the NSA spied on our e-mails and texts. Now, they’re accusing us of treason. We got it. They want us to be quiet, but we won’t be quiet and not just because this is a news organization, because we’re Americans and we can talk to anyone we want.

We can have any opinion we feel like having, that is not treason. It is not un-American. It’s the whole point of America. It is our Bill of Rights distilled.

So today we sent another letter to Vladimir Putin asking for an interview. We hope we get it. We also sent a message to the President of Ukraine. We would like that interview, too.

Now, neither one of these men runs a democracy by traditional American standards. Both of them are tyrants, but they’re in the news and we would love to talk to them. An interview is hardly an endorsement. In that same spirit, we have also reached out to Congressman Cicilline’s office inviting him on this show.

David Cicilline is a former mafia lawyer who represents one of our most corrupt states. He is a repulsive man. Is it immoral to talk to him? No, it’s not immoral. It would be interesting, and so we hope Congressman Cicilline accepts our invitation.

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor