Noah Rothman of the National Review writes abridged:
During his time on the stage at the Family Leader candidates’ forum in Iowa, Mike Pence was goaded by moderator Tucker Carlson into a heated back and forth over the notion that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has “persecuted Christians.”
The entire exchange is worth watching:
Things get heated as Tucker and Pence CLASH over Ukraine
Tucker: “The Zelenskyy government has raided convents and arrested priests. That’s an attack on religious liberty and we’re funding it. As a prominent Christian leader, I would think you would have greater concern for… pic.twitter.com/VYwRT8m99B
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 14, 2023
Carlson asked Pence whether on his visit to Kyiv to meet with Zelensky he had “broached the question of [Zelensky’s] treatment of Christians within Ukraine.” Not only did Pence say that he had, but he went on to clarify the many misconceptions Carlson articulated about the competing nationalistic versions of Orthodoxy in Ukraine and the highly political roles they play in Russia’s war of conquest.
Carlson didn’t accept Pence’s answer. “On this question, it’s very clear that the Zelensky government has arrested priests for having views they disagree with,” Carlson continued, calling that an “attack” on religious liberty. Asked how he squares these views with his egalitarianism, Pence once again explained that Carlson had misrepresented the situation in Ukraine.
What followed was a tense exchange in which both Carlson and Pence talked past one another, in part, because neither was willing to hear the other’s response. Pence deserves credit for sticking to his guns. He’s right. Carlson is retailing an odious narrative here.
Read the full story here.