Tulsi Gabbard Said There's Nuance in the Ukraine-Russia Conflict. So Mitt Romney Accused Her of Treason.

What happened: On Monday, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) accused Tulsi Gabbard of treason after her appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show. On the show, she offered nuance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. She argued that NATO expansion should stop, that Ukraine was more vital for Russia than America, and that leaders should treat the Ukrainian Biolabs seriously. None of these are radical opinions.

• The Daily Beast attempted to paint Gabbard as a Russian asset for receiving a 60 dollar donation from someone she never met earlier last week.

• Hillary Clinton also accused Tulsi of being a Russian asset for attacking Kamala Harris in a presidential debate.

• ABC’s The Viewdemanded that Gabbard and Tucker Carlson should be criminally investigated for their views.

Why: As Glenn Greenwald argues, dissent is severely limited during wartime to give the establishment class complete control over the black-and-white war narrative. Labeling dissent as “treason” effectively deters many from describing situations with nuance because it’s a serious claim punishable by execution.

• During the War on Terror, the “treason” label was used by the Bush and Cheney’s for the same reason.

• Edward Snowden was later labeled a traitor for exposing the government’s assault on civil liberties.

The founders: America’s founders understood that treason could be used as a political tool, so they specifically outlined what the crime was. To date, the U.S. has convicted fewer than 12 Americans for treason.

Big picture: Many of those who refuse to parrot the establishment perspective on Ukraine and Russia are now accused of treason. The establishment throws around the traitor label to maintain control of the narrative. It’s just another form of censorship.