Tucker Carlson backs Tulsi Gabbard against New York Times, Mitt Romney

Tucker Carlson addressed the public argument between Tulsi Gabbard and Mitt Romney on Monday night regarding concerns over bio labs in Ukraine, and his show's role in that conversation. Gabbard spoke out about the problem of Ukrainian bio labs and their contents potentially falling into Russian hands, leading Romney to call her a liar and accuse her of treason, a charge Gabbard returned in kind.

"We just talked to Tulsi Gabbard, who was denounced as treasonous, and potentially murderer by a sitting US senator, admittedly it was Mitt Romney, but he spoke for many," Carlson said. Gabbard, a veteran and former Hawaii congresswoman, spoke to Carlson on Friday about concerns over existing, US-funded bio labs in Ukraine, that may contain pathogens once used by Russia for their former bioweapons program.

"Because she said 'Look, Victoria Nuland, Undersecretary of State, has said under oath that there are bio labs in Ukraine and the contents of those labs—because it's a war zone—they haven't been secured, and could wind up in the wrong hands.'" Gabbard, who is a veteran of the US Army, was concerned about his revelation.

"The New York Times," Carlson said, was quick to denounce us for even talking about the subject." Carlson referred to a "fact check" from the Times that said that the bio labs did not contain bioweapons.

"What we said is what's factually true, which is there are stores— we learned from the US government— of Soviet-era bioweapons in Ukraine that for some reason have not yet been destroyed," Carlson said.

"That's a huge problem potentially. And The New York Times kind of admitted that in their attack of us," Carlson said.

The Times wrote: "Mr. Pope had warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may damage laboratories in the country that conduct research and disease surveillance and are supported by the United States. He noted that some of the facilities may contain pathogens once used for Soviet-era bioweapons programs, but he emphasized that the Ukrainian labs currently did not have the ability to manufacture bioweapons."

"That's true," Carlson said, noting that the show had also quoted Pope. "And it's terrifying. If we can't respond to it because everyone's afraid of being called a tool of a foreign country, people who are trying their very hardest with the greatest level of sincerity to protect the United States then we have lost the threat then we can't leave the world we can lead our own country if people like that are in charge."

The cause for Gabbard's concern was testimony given last week by Biden official Victoria Nuland, when she testified before the Senate that there are labs in Ukraine that need to be secured from Russian forces. Gabbard said that she was "extremely concerned" about this revelation.

"Unless this war in Ukraine ends now, ends tonight," Gabbard said, "we face a real certainty that one or more of these labs will be compromised, will be breached, and it won't just be the people of Ukraine who are impacted. We could face another global crisis, when you look at a pathogen that could be released," she told Carlson. She said that the labs "must be shut down immediately."

Gabbard replied to Romney's comments, saying that "there are 25+ US-funded biolabs in Ukraine which if breached would release & spread deadly pathogens to [the] US/world," and stated that these labs "must be secured in order to prevent new pandemics."

Romney said she was propagating "treasonous lies" and posted that: "Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives." Gabbard went on to slam Romney in return that his claims were in fact "treasonous."