Tommy Tuberville’s office clarifies his white nationalist comments

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s office on Wednesday clarified statements he made about white nationalists serving in the military.

“Do you believe they should allow white nationalists in the military?” the Alabama senator was asked during an interview on WBHM that was posted online on Monday. “Well, they call them that. I call them Americans,” Tuberville said.

On Wednesday, Tuberville’s office clarified those remarks to a publication in his home state, telling AL.com that Tuberville’s comment “shows that he was being skeptical of the notion that there are white nationalists in the military, not that he believes they should be in the military,” and that the senator believes members of the military are “patriots.”

During the radio interview, Tuberville, a member of the Senate Arms Services Committee, also decried lagging recruitment in the military, blaming Biden-administration policies.

“We are losing in the military so fast” in terms of recruitment, Tuberville said, adding: “Democrats are attacking our military, saying we need to get out the white extremists, the white nationalists, people that don’t believe in our agenda, as Joe Biden’s agenda.”

A rise in white supremacy in the military has plagued the Pentagon for years, coming to the forefront in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot, after analysis found one in five defendants charged in the insurrection had served in the military.

Tuberville's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.