The White House slammed Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on Wednesday for warning against picking sides in the Middle East amid the violent Israel-Hamas war.
Tuberville said in an interview with WBRC Alabama this week, “The problem is, when you start picking sides in the Middle East, it can get really messy very quick.”
The White House highlighted those comments in a memo Wednesday and noted that President Biden has declared full support for Israel.
“[W]hen it comes to the horrific events in Israel, President Biden knows which side he’s on. Senator Tuberville should look in the mirror and then follow the President’s lead,” deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a memo.
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The memo mostly focused on Tuberville’s months-long hold on military promotions, saying the war in Israel is a reminder of the importance of military readiness, which Tuberville is harming. Tuberville’s hold is in protest of the military’s abortion policy.
“The terrorist atrocities in Israel are a stark reminder that America’s military must be ready for anything on a moment’s notice. And the men and women who put their lives on the line for their country deserve the absence of self-inflicted attacks on their readiness from self-serving politicians, like Sen. Tuberville,” Bates said.
He accused Tuberville of “directly sabotaging the American military” and warned that “Senator Tuberville’s selfish stunt is also providing a windfall to our adversaries in the world.”
The White House has consistently criticized Tuberville’s hold and called for him to drop it, as well as for senators on both sides of the aisle to convince him to end his protest.