Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday backed off his defense of white nationalists, telling reporters in the Capitol that white nationalists “are racists.”
It comes as the Alabama Republican is also receiving criticism from both Republicans and Democrats for his monthslong blockade on the confirmation of all senior military officers in protest of a Defense Department abortion policy.
In a May interview, Tuberville suggested the Biden administration’s efforts to expand diversity in the military were weakening the force and hampering recruitment, though the Army has said that the real problem is that many young people do not see enlistment as safe or a good career path.
On Tuesday, Tuberville was asked if he wanted to clarify those remarks. “White nationalists are racist,” he responded, without elaborating.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, says that white nationalist groups focus on the inferiority of non-white people and that their primary goal is to create “a white ethnostate.”
The group says the number of white nationalist groups reached a historic high in 2019, during Donald Trump’s presidency.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday morning that Tuberville should apologize.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell also denounced the ideology.
“White supremacy is simply unacceptable in the military and in our whole country,” McConnell said Tuesday when asked about Tuberville’s comments.
