Several U.S. military veterans have issued public comments defending former Fox News host Tucker Carlson after a report emerged that Pentagon officials were relieved that he would no longer host his popular prime-time show.
“We’re a better country without him bagging on our military every night in front of hundreds of thousands of people,” one senior Pentagon official is reported to have said, while a second, according to Politico, said: ”Good riddance.”
Veterans Respond
The report prompted many veterans to respond on social media, with one critic saying it is unfitting for Department of Defense (DOD) officials to publicly denounce media figures who question their policies.Army Ranger veteran Sean Parnell also spoke up in Carlson’s defense, saying the outspoken 53-year-old cable news host never “bagged” on the military, but that he had instead attempted to hold U.S. Defense officials accountable for their carelessness on matters such as the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.
Carlson also denounced the Biden administration for prioritizing wokeness and diversity within the military in the face of the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party, prompting a rare response from then-Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby.
‘Maintain Neutrality’
The social media firestorm also caught the attention of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq.While hosting one of the top-rated cable news programs for years, Carlson was also one of the only mainstream television hosts to openly criticize top federal agencies.
Carlson Breaks Silence
On Wednesday at his usual 8 p.m. ET time slot—two days after parting ways with Fox News—Carlson posted a two-minute video on Twitter, revealing his observations after taking a couple of days off.Carlson argued in the clip that big topics that will define our future get “virtually no discussion at all”—topics like war, civil liberties, emerging science, demographic change, corporate power, and natural resources.
“When was the last time you heard a legitimate debate about any of those issues?” Carlson asked, saying that both of America’s main political parties and their donors have colluded to “shut down any conversation” about them. He said the United States increasingly resembles a one-party state.
“That’s a depressing realization, but it’s not permanent … It won’t work. When honest people say what’s true—calmly and without embarrassment—they become powerful. At the same time, the liars who have been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker. That’s the iron law of the universe—true things prevail,” Carlson said.
“Where can you still find Americans saying true things? There aren’t many places left but there are some, and that’s enough. As long as you can hear the words, there is hope. See you soon,” he added.