A former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency suggested that Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama be removed from the “human race,” according to a post on X, now known as Twitter, on Monday.
Tuberville has been strongly criticized by the Biden administration and Democrats for his denial of unanimous consent in the Senate for military nominations to proceed expeditiously, in protest against a Department of Defense (DoD) policy that reimburses service members for travel to obtain an abortion in states where it is legal. Michael Hayden retweeted a post on Monday that called for Tuberville’s removal from the Senate Armed Services Committee and suggested that he be “removed from the human race.” (RELATED: Senator Tuberville’s Holds Will Affect The Navy For ‘Years,’ Top Admiral Says)
“How about the human race?” Hayden asked, rhetorically, in response to a tweet where a user asked “Should Tommy Tuberville be removed from his committee? Yes or No?”
How about the human race? https://t.co/UCGCfF1lA3
— Gen Michael Hayden (@GenMhayden) October 10, 2023
“I was surprised to wake up this morning and discover that many MAGAnuts had lost their minds over my suggestion that ‘Coach’ Tuberville not be considered a member of the human race,” he wrote in another post on Twitter on Tuesday. “I stand by that view. I’m wishing you all a nice day even the intransigent Tommy Tuberville.”
Until recently, the impasse between Tuberville and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had prevented over 300 military nominees from being confirmed by the Senate, according to the Department of Defense. Schumer recently invoked cloture on the nominations of three high-ranking officers — General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Eric M. Smith to be commandant of the Marine Corps and General Randy George to be the chief of staff of the U.S. Army — resulting in their confirmations.
Tuberville has vowed to maintain his denial of unanimous consent, also known as a hold, until the DOD rescinds its policy, according to Politico. President Joe Biden has refused to do so, arguing that the policy is necessary for military readiness.
“This statement is disgusting and it is repugnant to everything we believe in as Americans,” Tuberville wrote in a statement emailed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Given General Hayden’s long career in Washington, he must have known that, by making such a statement, he was committing a serious crime.” Tuberville said that he had reported Hayden to the United States Capitol Police, which is responsible for protecting members of Congress, and hoped that Hayden would be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The NSA declined to offer further comment. The CIA and Hayden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include a statement from Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
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