Tucker Carlson responds to Army battalion commander who claimed White people are 'part of the problem'

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Pentagon allegedly partnering with 'Islamic activists' to 'root out extremists'

Investigative journalist Daniel Greenfield reacts to reports army officer told troops 'White people are part of the problem' on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight'

The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is using a newly-established "working group" to come up with a definition for extremism, which one journalist warns is a way to weed out political dissenters within the ranks and control what soldiers can think.

On "Tucker Carlson Tonight," host Tucker Carlson noted that Austin, a former board member of the defense contractor Raytheon, said during his confirmation process that he will "rid our ranks of racists and extremists," and that "We can't do that if some of our enemies lie within our own ranks."

"'Some of our enemies lie within our own ranks,' he's right about that, but probably thinking of a different group," Carlson said in response.

Carlson said that as part of their "hunt for extremists," the Pentagon has partnered with people including "Islamic activists" and at least one figure who seeks the release of Guantanamo Bay detainees. In addition, he pointed to a report that Lt. Col. Andrew Rhodes, a battalion commander at Fort Carson, Colo., told his troops that "White people are part of the problem."

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Carlson asked investigative journalist Daniel Greenfield for further specifics on how Austin is reshaping the Pentagon and the military.

"It paints an unpleasant [picture] from the top-down: Bishop Garrison is leading the CEWG (Counter-Extremism Working Group) that Austin set up in order to create a new definition of extremism," Greenfield said.

"[Garrison's group] will define it and it is going to screen recruits in the military and it's punishing them if they lie about their past activities. It's going to be a point of contact for veterans warning them about extremism. And it's obviously going to regulate who gets into what kind of national security positions," Greenfield continued.

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"They have gotten 18 experts to come in coordinate with CEWG in this extremism this definition. Only one of them has a military background and only two have a law enforcement background. The vast majority of them are partisan Democrats who supported Biden. And strangely enough, about a third of them are Muslim or from Islamic groups. Two of whom appear to not even be United States citizens but have worked with the United Nations."

Carlson responded that Garrison's group sounds like "political commissars" and that Congress should be addressing this issue. 

"Maybe at some point, someone in the Congress could hold up the military budget over stuff like this," added Carlson, pointing to people like Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who say they "support the troops" but appear silent in the face of this dramatic shift at the Pentagon.