U.S. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer delivered strong criticism against Senator Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday, after the Republican from Alabama once again defended white nationalism, this time falsely claiming the belief is not inherently racist.
“The definition of white nationalism is not a matter of opinion,” Majority Leader Schumer reiterated on social media. “White nationalism—the ideology that white people are inherently superior, that people of color should be segregated, subjected, and relegated to second-class citizenship—is racist down to its rotten core.”
“GOP Senator Tuberville has been on a one-man mission to defend white nationalism and even suggest that white nationalism is ‘American,'” Leader Schumer also wrote. “To speculate about what white nationalism means as if it’s some fun little thought experiment is deeply disturbing.”
On the Senate floor, in rare remarks denouncing a sitting U.S. Senator, Leader Schumer blasted Tuberville, saying the Alabama Republican on Monday “suggested that no, white nationalists aren’t inherently racist, that yes, white nationalism is American, and that the definition of white nationalism is a matter of opinion.”
“It’s hard to believe that the senator from Alabama has to be corrected again,” Schumer added. “The senator from Alabama is wrong, wrong, wrong. The definition of white nationalism is not a matter of opinion. White nationalism, the ideology that one race is inherently superior to other people of color should be segregated, subjected and relegated to second class citizenship is racist, down to its rotten core. And for the senator from Alabama to obscure the basic nature of White Nationalism is indeed very, very dangerous.”
“These words have power and carry weight at the fringe of his constituency, just the fringe. But if that fringe listens to him, excusing, defending white nationalism, he is fanning the flames of bigotry and intolerance.”
“Last week, the gunman who killed 23 People in an El Paso Walmart was sentenced to 90 life terms in prison. He was a self-described white nationalist. The man who murdered 10 people at the Tops supermarket in my home state of New York in Buffalo was a white nationalist. And if those examples aren’t clear enough, let’s not forget Charlottesville, where neo-fascists, far-right radicals and far-right militias paraded through the streets carrying torches and chanting, ‘Jews will not replace us.’ Those who are white nationalists. This isn’t a joke. This is deadly serious stuff. And for a member of the United States Senate to speculate about what white nationalism means as if it’s some benign little thought experiment, is deeply disturbing. I urge my Republican colleagues to impress upon the senator from Alabama the destructive impact of his words, and urge him to apologize.”
Tuberville has a long and disturbing history of defending white nationalism.
In May he declared white nationalists are simply “Americans.” He also said, “I look at a white nationalist as a, as a Trump Republican. That’s what we’re called all the time.”
Those claims came immediately after an NBC News reporter told Tuberville, “A white nationalist propagates Nazism, a white nationalist could be someone who doesn’t believe that Black and Brown people are equals…”
Sen. Tuberville appeared on CNN Monday night and claimed that he is “totally” against racism, yet repeatedly defended white nationalism, telling anchor Kaitlan Collins (video below), “that’s your opinion” that it’s racist.
On Tuesday he argued with a reporter, who happened to be Black, when she asked him about his remarks from Monday night.
“Listen,” Sen. Tuberville told the reporter. “I’m totally against racism. If the Democrats want to say that white nationalists are racists, I’m totally against that, too.”
When the reporter tried to explain what a white nationalist was, Tuberville cut her off then said, “Well that’s your definition.”
Monday night the conversation on CNN was much longer, but little different.
“If people think that a white nationalist is racist. I agree with that,” Tuberville began, only to twist the definition moments later.
“A white nationalist is someone who believes that the white race is superior to other races,” Collins told the GOP Senator.
“Well, that’s some people’s opinion,” Tuberville replied
“What’s your opinion?” asked Collins.
“My opinion of a white nationalist,” Tuberville said, “to me is an American. It’s an American,” he repeated.
“Now, if that white nationalists is a racist, I’m totally against anything that they want to do, because I am 110% against racism. But I want somebody that’s in our military that strong that believes in this country, that’s an American that will fight along anybody, whether it’s a man or a woman, Black or white or red – it doesn’t make any difference.”
Then Tuberville again turned the conversation over, immediately attacking Democrats by implying opposing white nationalism is “identity politics.”
“And so I’m totally against identity politics. I think it’s ruining this country. And 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 every day.”
“But that’s not identity politics,” Collins said, pressing the Senator. “You said a white nationalist is an American.”
“It is identity politics,” Tuberville insisted.
“You said a white nationalist is an American but a white nationalist is someone who who believes horrific things. Do you really think that’s someone who should be serving in the military?” Collins asked.
“Well, that’s just a name that has been given,” Tuberville insisted, echoing his claim on Monday that the only difference between an acting Commandant of the Marines and a permanent, Senate-confirmed Commandant is “just the name.”
“It’s a real definition. There’s real concerns about extremism,” Collins argued.
That’s when Tuberville again turned there tables.
“So if you’re going to do away with most white people in this country out of the military, we got huge problems. We’ve got huge problems,” Tuberville declared.
“It’s not just people who are white, it’s white nationalists,” Collins shot back.
“That have a few probably different beliefs. That have a few different beliefs. Now, if racism is one of those beliefs, I’m totally against. I am totally against racism.”
“But a white nationalist is racist,” Collins again informed the Alabama Senator.
“Well, that’s your opinion. That’s your opinion. But if it’s racism, if it’s racism, I’m totally against it,” Tuberville claimed.
Watch the videos above or at this link.