Topline
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) finally condemned white nationalists as racists after previously claiming the definition of the term is a matter of “opinion,” a position that drew bipartisan backlash.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, attempts to … [+]
Key Facts
Tuberville told reporters on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon that “white nationalists are racists,” multiple outlets are reporting, after previously insisting white nationalism couldn’t be equated to racism and the term is “a cover word for the Democrats.”
Tuberville previously said white nationalists should be allowed to serve in the military, as long as they aren’t racist—a statement that wrongly suggests that white nationalists aren’t inherently racist—and doubled down on the claim Monday in an interview on CNN.
Chief Critic
Tuberville faced criticism from both sides of the aisle Tuesday after defending his controversial comments. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) accused Tuberville of “fanning the flames of bigotry” and said his interpretation is “wrong, wrong, wrong” and “very, very dangerous.” When asked about Tuberville’s comments, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said “white supremacy is simply unacceptable in the military and in our whole country.”
Key Background
Tuberville’s remarks resurfaced Monday when CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked him to explain his past defense of white nationalists in the military. In a May radio interview, Tuberville said “they call them that, I call them Americans,” when asked if white nationalists should be allowed to serve in the military. At the time, Tuberville was discussing his opposition to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s order for a 60-day stand down to reinforce a policy against extremism in the military. That wasn’t the first time Tuberville took issue with military happenings—he has continuously refused to vote for key military appointments as an ongoing protest of a Pentagon policy that covers travel costs for military members seeking out-of-state abortions. As of Friday, 265 nominations were being held up by Tuberville’s blockade, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Monday. Currently, the Marine Corps is without a leader since Tuberville has refused to approve Gen. Eric Smith to the role following Gen. David Berger’s retirement.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/07/11/tommy-tuberville-admits-white-nationalists-are-racists-after-bipartisan-scorn/