An Alabama Republican senator recently said he doesn’t believe the presence of white nationalists among the ranks of the U.S. armed forces is a problem.
He contends the assertion from “Democrats” that there are bigots serving the nation is one of the reasons why the military recruitment numbers are low.
In an interview with Birmingham-based radio station WBHM last week, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said America’s military is in shambles because of rhetoric he says the left has spewed about alleged racism in service branches such as the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
“We are losing in the military — so fast — our readiness in terms of recruitment. And why? I can tell you why. Because the Democrats are attacking our military, saying we need to get out the white extremists, the white nationalists, people that don’t believe in [President Joe Biden’s] agenda,” said Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“They’re destroying it,” he continued. “This year we will not reach any recruiting goals in the military.”
Tuberville, an Arkansas native who rose to fame in Alabama during his 11 seasons as the coach of state football powerhouse Auburn University, was elected to the Senate in 2020. Three months after being elected he was appointed to three subcommittees on the Senate Armed Services Committee: Strategic Forces; Emerging Threats and Capabilities; and Personnel.
When asked by the WBHM interviewer if he believes white nationalists are an issue in the military, he disavowed that notion, responding, “They call them that. I call them Americans.”
Tuberville’s stance seems to contrast with the Defense Department’s own assessment of the issue.
Gary Reed, the director for defense intelligence and counterintelligence, law enforcement and security, said in a federal release issued in January 2021, “We … are doing everything we can to eliminate extremism in the…
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