Tommy Tuberville Squeezes in Call With Pentagon Over Military Promotions

Tommy Tuberville tried to brush off a request from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to discuss the Alabama senator’s refusal to approve key military promotions, alleging that he didn’t have time for a call with the Pentagon chief. Tuberville reconsidered a few hours later, opting to take a brief break from defending white nationalists to get on the phone with Austin.

Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has blocked hundreds of military promotions over his opposition to the Pentagon’s policy of providing some abortion services for service members, veterans, and dependents. As a result of the blockade, major positions within the U.S. military remain vacant, including that of the highest-ranking officer in the Marine Corps.

It’s not yet known if he and  Austin were able to reach any sort of agreement during their call on Thursday.

According to CNN, Austin’s office attempted on Thursday to set up a phone call with Tuberville. Tuberville’s office initially stated the senator was unavailable on Thursday or over the weekend. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins noted that Tuberville’s initial evasion of Austin took place after he accused the defense secretary of failing to reach out to him and discuss the issue.

When questioned as to why he’d brushed off the head of the Pentagon, Tuberville told CNN that he had been “on the run” and unable to contact Austin while out of office, adding that he had his cell phone number and would “talk to him.” It seems he followed through a little earlier than expected.

Austin told CNN earlier on Thursday that Tuberville’s stonewalling is “a national security issue. It’s a readiness issue. And we shouldn’t kid ourselves.”

“I think any member of the Senate Armed Services Committee knows that,” he added.

President Biden also blasted Tuberville on Thursday while speaking at a news conference in Helsinki, Finland. “I’d be willing to talk to him if I thought there was any possibility he would change his ridiculous position,” Biden said. “He’s jeopardizing U.S. security.”

“The idea that we don’t have a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the idea that we have all these promotions that are in abeyance right now and we don’t know what’s going to happen, the idea they are injecting into fundamental foreign policy decisions what in fact is a domestic social debate on social issues, is bizarre,” Biden told reporters. “And it’s just totally irresponsible, in my view.”

“I’m confident that the mainstream Republican Party no longer — does not support what he’s doing. But they got to stand up and be counted,” the president added. “That’s how it ends.”

Earlier this week, the senator caused a firestorm when he claimed that he was “totally against racism,” but that “if the Democrats want to say white nationalists are racist then I’m against that too.” The senator had disputed the idea that white nationalists are racist the previous night, claiming they simply have “a few different beliefs.”

Tuberville ultimately acknowledged that white supremacists are racist.

The senator has become a point of exasperation for many Republicans. Recently, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has found himself fielding questions about Tuberville’s antics that he’d rather not answer. Earlier this week, McConnell dodged a direct condemnation of Tuberville when pressed about the senator’s statements, only managing to say that “white supremacy is unacceptable.”

Tuberville’s freeze in the Armed Services Committee has also led to increased pressure on McConnell to resolve the issue. “No, I don’t support putting a hold on military nominations. I don’t support that. As to why, you need to ask Sen. Tuberville,” McConnell told reporters in May.

Despite McConnell’s condemnation of the embargo, Tuberville has given no indication he’s feeling pressure from Republican leadership. “I’m not gonna change my approach,” he told CNN on Monday.

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