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“Senator Tuberville’s inability to condemn white nationalists is disappointing and completely unacceptable,” said U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala.
Republican U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama faced backlash after he refused to agree that white nationalists are racist.
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., condemned the conservative Alabama lawmaker in a tweet that read, “Senator Tuberville’s inability to condemn white nationalists is disappointing and completely unacceptable.”
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also slammed his Republican colleague on the Senate floor and said, “The Senator from Alabama is wrong, wrong, wrong.”
“The definition of white nationalism is not a matter of opinion,” he added.
Schumer continued: “White nationalism – the ideology that one race is inherently superior to others, that people of color should be segregated, subjected, and relegated to second-class citizenship – is racist down to its rotten core.”
The backlash comes after Tuberville doubled down on his apparent defense of white nationalists after previously protesting attempts by the Department of Defense to root out servicemen who foster white nationalist ideology from the U.S. military.
On the first episode of CNN’s “The Source” with host Kaitlan Collins on Monday night, the senator told Collins that he believes white nationalists can enlist in the military as long as they are not racist.
Collins attempted to educate Sen. Tuberville that the very definition of a white nationalist is someone who is racist. “A white nationalist is someone who agrees that the white race is superior to other races,” she explained.
“Well, that’s some people’s opinion,” rebutted Tuberville before Collins interrupted and said, “That’s not an opinion.”
Tuberville explained that he believes a white nationalist is “an American.” He added, “Now, if that white nationalist is a racist, I’m totally against anything that they want to do because I am 110% against racism.”
The senator appeared to suggest that “white nationalist” was some sort of slur used by Democrats, telling Collins, “I’m totally against identity politics, and I think it’s ruining this country.”
“I think the Democrats ought to be ashamed for how they’re doing this because it’s dividing this country, and it’s making this country weaker,” he continued.
After listening to Tuberville’s explanation, Collins told Tuberville, “That’s not identity politics. You said a white nationalist is an American, but a white nationalist is someone who believes horrific things.”
She added, “You don’t really think that that’s someone who should be serving the military?”
The senator explained that as long as someone who is a white nationalist is not racist, they should be able to serve in the military.
TheGrio reached out to Senator Tuberville for comment but did receive comment by the time of publication.
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