Tuesday on FNC’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) speculated that the aim of President Joe Biden and his administration was the “total destruction of the Russian state.”

Gabbard said she based this on comments from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

“[Y]ou know, the Biden administration’s policies, words, and actions, it has just been made very clear to us what their real goal is, and their real goal is destruction of the Russian state,” she said. “We heard just a few days ago how Secretary of Defense Austin kind of spilled the beans on what our real mission and goal is when he said, and I  quote, ‘We want to see Russia weakened to the degree it cannot do the kinds of things it’s done in invading Ukraine,’ so what that means is total destruction of the Russian state.”

“What he’s not telling the American people is that Russia has also made it very clear that if we even get close to quote-unquote ‘winning’ in achieving this mission and goal he has outlined, Russia said very clearly, they will have no other option than to resort to the use of nuclear weapons, starting first with tactical nuclear weapons and if necessary, escalating to the use of strategic nuclear weapons,” Gabbard continued.

“This is not fear-mongering to point this out, the American people need to know that this is the track that this administration has put us on, and the very dire consequences that will occur if we continue down this path to our families, our communities, our country, and frankly, the world,” he added. “This is the reality that we’re facing.”

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor