Ret. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who is originally from Ukraine, is among those profoundly at odds with Fox host Tucker Carlson as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to unfold in Europe. Essentially, Carlson has taken the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and in a recent episode of his show, Carlson ranted against Vindman, complaining that he “believes you have a moral obligation to defend his homeland,” derisively characterizing Vindman’s position as that “your job is to take up arms in defense of Alexander Vindman’s home country, or else you’re evil.” Vindman shot down Carlson’s nonsense in a response on Twitter this Wednesday, pointing out that his homeland is now the U.S. and writing as follows:
‘Hey TuckyoRose, [Tucker Carlson]. Yes, I 100% support defending my homeland. That’s why I did more than talk, I served 21 years in the [US Army]. What did you do besides sow discord amongst Americans, cheerlead for our enemies, and weaken us, inviting attacks on the U.S.’
Vindman’s note that his homeland is the United States, refuting Carlson’s implication that he’s some kind of infiltrator on behalf of Ukraine, is obviously on-point, but it’s also relevant to note that there is no apparent plan at this time for U.S. troops to enter Ukraine to counter Russian aggression, although U.S. troops elsewhere in Europe were announced to be repositioning by President Joe Biden. Vindman has previously faced right-wing allegations that he has some kind of secret loyalty to interests outside of the United States, although as he referenced, he served for decades in the U.S. military and was given a Purple Heart medal after getting injured by an explosive device in Iraq. After he provided information to Congress about Trump’s campaign to pressure Ukrainian authorities into conducting investigations that would be favorable to his domestic political team, Vindman was fired from his post at the National Security Council, no matter his lengthy service.
I spoke to family in Ukraine this morning. They are scared, but they are safe—for now. They are just some of the millions in the path of war.
I would invite Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and others to speak with Ukrainians. Maybe then they’d stop praising Russia.
— Aaron Parnas (@AaronParnas) February 23, 2022
Stunningly, Carlson actually mocked the idea that Russian incursions into Ukraine are causes for concern during the same episode of his show this week on which he made those remarks about Vindman. As Carlson derisively put it, in seeming reference to undocumented immigration, “Invading America is called ‘equity,'” but “invading Ukraine is a war crime.” Carlson also explicitly characterized domestic political opponents of the Right — meaning Democrats — as fundamentally worse for Americans than Vladimir Putin. As he explained it, describing his ideal questions for self-reflection among his viewers, “Has Putin ever called me a racist?.. Is he teaching my children to embrace racial discrimination?.. Is he trying to snuff out Christianity?.. Vladimir Putin didn’t do any of that… You should be mad at the people who are making your life worse, who are preventing you from saying what you think is true, who are calling you a racist” and “are allowing your country to become polluted and overrun and filled with drugs and the homeless.” These comments are, of course, ridiculous — snuffing out Christianity is not an agenda item for Democrats, no matter Carlson’s rage, and issues continue from there.
"Carlson impugned the patriotism of @AVindman, who came to the U.S. at age four and earned a Purple Heart in Iraq. Vindman “believes you have a moral obligation to defend his homeland." In case anyone missed the dual-loyalty smear, Carlson added…"https://t.co/5dlj932vZ5
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) February 23, 2022
