Daily Caller co-founder Tucker Carlson and attorney Bob Amsterdam criticized U.S. leaders during Thursday’s “Tucker on Twitter” for backing Ukraine as the country reportedly arrests church clergy deemed a threat to the government.
The Ukrainian government has reportedly cracked down on Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy still aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church. Authorities allege that the church clergy has shared intelligence with Moscow to aid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, undermining national security.
Carlson said neoconservatives have allowed for the attack of Christians across the globe for decades, along with President Joe Biden, who has continued supporting a country that carries out the arrest of clergy.
“The Ukrainian government has now banned an entire Christian denomination, and virtually no one in the United States has said anything about it,” Carlson said in his monologue.
Ep. 34 Of all of Biden’s crimes, backing the Ukrainian government as it throws priests in jail may be the most revealing. pic.twitter.com/ZCVV4uPzs9
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) October 26, 2023
Carlson interviewed Amsterdam, who is representing the church. He explained that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been around for thousands of years, but the government has participated in a “vicious, unlimited campaign” to “force conscription” on members of that church.
“The politicians in Ukraine, including perhaps the president, want to take the populist vote of those behind this new church and therefore feel it is in their political interest to destroy this ancient branch of Christianity,” Amsterdam said. “And I absolutely can tell you that the damage that has been visited on the leadership of this church, including five year jail sentences for 75-year-old clerics, just astounds you that in the 21st century, a country that wants to join the EU would ban a religion, let alone an ancient Christian form of that religion.” (RELATED: Tensions Boil Over As Tucker Confronts Mike Pence About Christian Discrimination In Ukraine)
Carlson said U.S. leaders show no concern for the attack on the church and repeat the Ukrainian government’s talking point that the church has Russian ties. The attorney said neither the U.S. nor European countries have acknowledged the truth about the Ukrainian government since Russia waged war on the country in February 2022.
Amsterdam said there is a public relations ban on any criticism of the Ukrainian government or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, causing the U.S. to be in the dark regarding Ukraine’s actions.
“These charges are on their face political charges,” Amsterdam said.
Carlson and Amsterdam both agreed the Ukrainian government is taking “authoritarian” action by reportedly arresting clergy and is in violation of its constitution.
“There is no basis under the Ukrainian constitution, or under international law or the laws of war or Ukraine’s own resolution in terms of limited rights during the war for the banning of a religious denomination,” Amsterdam explained, adding it is “beyond anything acceptable.”
Amsterdam told Christian leaders around the world that their silence about Ukraine is “endangering” the religion. He criticized the U.S. government and its Christian leadership in particular over their lack of response or outrage. (RELATED: ‘Something Bad’s Coming’: Tucker Carlson Warns America Is On The ‘Brink Of Collapse’)
“It is shocking to me that a country such as the United States, with such strong Christian leadership, I thought, could allow this to go on,” the attorney continued. “Because what the Ukrainians try to tell you that it’s the same religion, this OCU church, is the same religion. But in fact, my clients, the church I represent, their prayers are in Church Slavonic, their liturgy is different. And I can tell you as somebody who is not a youngster, were somebody to come into my church or synagogue and change the language and change the leadership, I would be horrified.”
“There’s nothing more intimate than one’s relationship to his God. And this intervention for callous political purposes is unacceptable and it is shameful that not only Christian, but all leaders of all denominations have not spoken out against the Ukrainian government,” he continued.