Tucker Carlson has drawn scorn from the neoconservative wing over the last several weeks, despite the fact that he’s roundly condemned Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. That’s because Carlson’s position on a response is essentially the opposite of the establishment Republican wing, which is rushing to push for a hot war with Russia.

And if you think I’m being hyperbolic, here’s Adam Kinzinger, who had previously called for the United States to go to war with Russia by instituting a no-fly zone over Ukraine, now stumping for war with Belarus as well.

Never has a dude been more thirsty for war than this guy. https://t.co/P5n8YCaZfE

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 14, 2022

Kinzinger has lashed out against Carlson personally several times, accusing him of being an agent of Kremlin in no uncertain terms. In response, Carlson invited Kinzinger on his top-rated Fox News show to defend his point of view. That would seem like a great opportunity for the soon-to-be ex-congressman to defend his calls for war.

Here’s how the Never Trump figure responded.

Tucker Carlson invited me on his show tonight, but that’s not going to happen…ever. While he echoes Putin’s lies, I’ll remain focused on supporting the Ukrainian people. My video statement: pic.twitter.com/plfOhh6bNb

— Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger) March 14, 2022

What an absolute coward. Instead of taking Carlson up on his offer to go on and defend his viewpoints to millions of people (some of which might be sympathetic, given many who watch Fox News are much more hawkish than Carlson), Kinzinger decided to shoot an iPhone video and get completely punked in the process.

Look, I think there are a lot of Republicans who are probably not as isolationist as Carlson on the matter of Russia invading Ukraine. That in and of itself is a reasonable place for disagreement. I’m not saying one has to agree with Carlson’s more skeptical eye toward the crisis. But what makes Kinzinger such a clown is that he is going around basically accusing people of treason for injecting any nuance into the situation.

For example, Carlson has discussed the US-funded bio-labs in Ukraine on his show. Yes, they exist, and no, it is not being an agent of the Kremlin to talk about them. Is there anything nefarious going on with them? I don’t personally think so, but I’m also not going to be triggered by their mere mention. Neoconservatives are sent into orbit by the discussion.

Back to Kinzinger, though, he’s just a joke a politician. He talks a big game on MSNBC, but the moment he’s challenged, he folds because he knows he can’t actually defend his positions, specifically those that will lead to open war with Russia. Instead, he’d rather hide behind the protection of Twitter, spreading misinformation and taking shots at those who don’t agree with him.

Kinzinger didn’t turn down Carlson’s offer because he’s “focused on supporting the Ukrainian people.” He turned him down because he’s an empty suit. The purge of Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, and perhaps a few others from the GOP that’s going to happen in November is a welcome event.