Schumer responds to White Nationalism comments from AL Sen.

Tuberville made comments during an interview with WBHM, an NPR station, where he was asked about his position on allowing white nationalists in the military.

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— Military.com (@Militarydotcom) May 16, 2023

Tuberville’s response was: “Well, they call them that. I call them Americans.” He went on to suggest that Democrats are attacking the military by pushing to remove white extremists and nationalists from the ranks.

Schumer responded on Thursday, stating that “white nationalism has no place in our armed forces and no place in any corner of American society”. He also criticized Tuberville’s efforts to impose his own agenda on the military, blocking promotions and appointments in protest of Pentagon rules about abortion access.

Previously, former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) legal defense fund, Sherrilyn Ifill, had called on Tuberville’s colleagues in the Senate to condemn his remarks.

Schumer echoed this sentiment, urging Tuberville to reconsider the harm he is causing and the “dangerous spectacle” he is creating in the Senate.

Tuberville’s spokesperson has since clarified that the senator was “being skeptical of the notion that there are white nationalists in the military, not that he believes they should be in the military”. The spokesperson also expressed Tuberville’s resentment at the implication that those serving in the military are anything other than “patriots and heroes”.

Reports have shown that the US military has a problem with white nationalism and white supremacy, despite Pentagon regulations prohibiting “active participation” in extremist groups since 1996. In 2021, a Pentagon report warning of a problem with white supremacists in the military was released. In February 2022, the Southern Poverty Law Center co-published documents revealing that one in five applicants to a white supremacist group claimed ties to the US military.

The White House national security council has also condemned Tuberville’s remarks, stating that extremist behavior has no place in the military or in society.

WBHM, the station where Tuberville made his comments, has fact-checked his claim about critical race theory being taught in the military and found little evidence to support it. The US military is not requiring critical race theory to be taught, and there is little evidence to suggest that it is being discussed much at all within the ranks.