A guest on the conservative news network Newsmax on Wednesday suggested that American athletes should be politically vetted before being allowed to compete for the country at the Olympics.

“I don’t know why we don’t start vetting these Olympians before they actually start to represent us overseas for their patriotism,” said Evita Duffy-Alfonso, the daughter of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy.

Higbie said: “She was a three-time reigning champ and was expected to at least win a medal. She flopped, got 13th place. So I’m thinking to myself, maybe she should focus on doing what she came there for rather than political bashing of the Trump administration?”

She later cited an article by The Federalist’s Sean Fleetwood, adding: “He said the patriotic thing to do is actually to root against these unpatriotic Olympians because they’re going out bashing us. Why should we cheer for them? Why should we want them to win? It’s absurd.”

Critics on social media quickly pushed back, calling the idea unconstitutional and antithetical to the spirit of the Olympic Games.