Tucker Carlson grilled former Vice President Mike Pence during a GOP candidate forum today.
Tucker: “I’m sorry, Mr. Vice President. You are distressed that the Ukrainians don’t have enough American tanks? Every city in the United States has become much worse over the past three years. Drive around. There’s not one city that’s gotten better. And it’s visible.
“Our economy has degraded, the suicide rate has jumped, public filth, and disorder and crime have exponentionally increased and yet your concern is that the Ukrainians, a country most people can’t find on a map, don’t have enough tanks? I think it’s a fair question to ask: Where’s the concern for the United States in that?”
Pence: “That’s not my concern.”
Carlson: You recently met with Zelensky, according to news reports. And I’m wondering if during that meeting, as a prominent Christian leader, which you are, in addition to your political views, you broached the question of his treatment of Christians within Ukraine.
The Zelensky government has raided convents, arrested priests, has effectively banned a Christian denomination, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church within Ukraine, has persecuted Christians.
And I wondered if you raised that with him.
Pence: I did raise the issue when we were there. And I raised it with the leader of the Orthodox Church when I was visiting Kyiv.
And asked him about concerns about religious liberty. He assured me that the Zelensky government in Ukraine was respecting religious liberty, even while recognizing that there were very small elements of the Russian Orthodox Church that were being utilized for the purpose of advancing the Russian cause in Ukraine, and that they were they were taking steps to hold them to account.
But the leader of the church at St Michael’s in Kyiv told me personally that he believed that the Zelensky government was respecting religious liberty.
Carlson: I’m confused on this question. It’s very clear that the Zelensky government has arrested priests for having views they disagree with.
That’s not consistent with religious liberty.
It’s an attack on it, and we’re funding it. I don’t mean to be disrespectful at all, but I sincerely wonder how a Christian leader could support the arrest of Christians for having different views.
Pence: Well, what I can tell you is I asked the Christian leader in Kyiv if that was, in fact, happening, and he assured me that it was not. People were not being persecuted for their religious beliefs.
Tucker: “I’m sorry, Mr. Vice President. You are distressed that the Ukrainians don’t have enough American tanks? Every city in the United States has become much worse over the past three years. Drive around. There’s not one city that’s gotten better. And it’s visible. Our… pic.twitter.com/6bJ8aKSPhs
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 14, 2023
Tucker: “Every city in America has become worse over the past few years… Your concern is that Ukraine don’t have enough tanks… Where’s the concern for America in that?”
Pence: “That’s not my concern.” pic.twitter.com/u2RlmmrhtM
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 14, 2023
