Tucker's "Biblical Orthodoxy" Guest: Embezzlement, Alleged Assault, and Bankruptcy
Jordan Hall, introduced as a corruption-exposing theologian, was allegedly investigated for strangulation, forced into bankruptcy by a libel case, and barred from ministry before Tucker platformed him
On June 23, 2026, Tucker Carlson introduced Jordan “JD” Hall to his podcast audience as “one of the clearest writers on the internet” and a theologian exposing the corruption of American Christianity. What Carlson did not disclose: his guest had been investigated by Sidney, Montana police for the alleged strangulation of a family member, had fabricated a story about a woman that forced him into bankruptcy, and had entered a no-contest plea in a felony embezzlement case that was later dismissed after Hall fulfilled the terms of a deferred sentencing agreement.
The Record Carlson Skipped Over
Hall built his platform as founder of Pulpit & Pen, later renamed Protestia, an online publication devoted to exposing supposed liberalism in evangelical Christianity. He also served as pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Sidney, Montana and ran the Montana Daily Gazette, a far-right local news outlet. The apparatus gave him access to politicians, airwaves, and a national audience of conservative Christians. It also gave him a financial account he was later accused in court of looting.
Before his fall, Hall had already established a pattern of targeting women — and fabricating when necessary. In 2021, he published a piece in the Montana Daily Gazette headlined “Whos the Gothic Transvestite Haunting the Halls of the Montana Capitol?” The article falsely accused Adrian Jawort, a transgender Native American lobbyist, of cornering and physically intimidating a state senator.
When Jawort sued for libel, Jawort’s attorneys filed a sanctions motion alleging Hall had made threats against opposing counsel, including posting a photo showing a placard reading “Raph Graybill” among hunting trophies on his wall and stating he would treat the attorney “like a coyote, killing him in the legal process and then leaving his carcass on the fence as a warning.” Hall filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in February 2022, one day before a scheduled sanctions hearing, and eventually settled. He was required to publish a court-authored apology on the Gazette homepage admitting “the information I published about Adrian was false.” Under the settlement, Jawort was entitled to a $250,000 claim against Hall’s bankruptcy estate.
Arrested Armed, Then Accused of Assault
Three months after the libel settlement, on the night of May 11, 2022, the Sidney Police Department arrested Hall after a traffic stop. The arrest report, obtained by Religion News Service, documented that Hall tested 0.00 for alcohol but failed a field sobriety test.
Police found him in possession of a concealed Smith & Wesson M&P Shield handgun, a fixed-blade knife around his neck, a second knife in his boot, and a bag of prescription pills. He was charged with driving under the influence and carrying a concealed weapon while impaired. Hall attributed the failed sobriety test to a vitamin D deficiency and pleaded not guilty.
Less than a month later, on June 5, 2022, a second and more serious incident occurred inside the Hall family home. A Sidney Police Department report dated June 23, 2022, obtained by the Sidney Herald and corroborated by MinistryWatch and the Christian Post, documented that Hall was investigated for allegations of “strangulation of a partner or family member” and “assault with a weapon” described as a “knife/cutting instrument.”
A Fellowship Baptist Church elder told the Christian Post that Hall’s wife had reported he physically abused her and their son and kicked him out of the home. The church’s own statement cited abuse of “his wife and one of their children.” No criminal charges were filed in connection with the alleged assault. Hall denies the abuse allegations.
Over $100,000 and a Court-Ordered Apology
The church ultimately reported Hall’s financial conduct to police as well. According to court filings by Richland County Attorney Charity McLarty, Hall had misappropriated more than $100,000 in church funds over five years for personal and political use — including a gun safe, family cell phones, personal travel, and payments to staff on his own political blog. Former church treasurer Joyce Nesper testified in court that Hall used church funds for “political trips that should not have been paid for by the church,” and that she suspected his offer to pay her husband’s medical bills was intended so she “did not have the need to look at bank statements.”
In September 2024, Hall entered a nolo contendere (no contest) plea to felony embezzlement charges in Richland County District Court as part of a deferred sentencing agreement. He was ordered to pay $15,454.44 in restitution to Fellowship Baptist, issue a court-ordered apology to the congregation, report to a probation officer, abstain from drugs and alcohol, and was prohibited from owning weapons or entering bars and casinos for three years. In March 2026, Richland County District Judge Olivia Rieger dismissed the charges and sealed the case files after Hall fulfilled the agreement’s terms. Hall has publicly maintained he never pleaded guilty.