Fox’s Jennifer Griffin Blasts Tommy Tuberville For ‘Insulting Marines Who Make Life and Death Decisions Everyday’
Fox News; Senate Television via AP
Even after he faced backlash from his own Republican Senate colleagues, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) refused to stand down on his sweeping hold on military promotions over military abortion policies. But his comments about how current military leaders are making up for the vacancies by working double the hours raised the ire of Fox News’s national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin.
When the news broke that Gen. Eric Smith was hospitalized following a heart attack, possibly caused by his being overworked while covering for the vacancy that Tuberville’s hold has affected, Tuberville was asked about military personnel working 20 hours a day. The months-long holds seemed to have reached a fever pitch after Gen. Smith’s hospitalization, and on Wednesday, a handful of Republican senators took to the Senate floor to blast Tuberville’s actions, expressing concern about military readiness and calling the freshman senator “100 percent wrong.”
CNN’s Manu Raju approached Tuberville on Thursday and asked about the hours military personnel were working, and the senator’s response was: “Come on, give me a break. This guy’s gonna work 18, 20 hours a day no matter what. That’s what we do. You know, I did that for years because you gotta get the job done.”
Before he was elected to the Senate in 2020, Tuberville was a college football coach.
Griffin saw Tuberville’s response as “dismissive” and “insulting” and responded on Twitter/X:
Tuberville is dismissive of Marine Commandant’s heart attack when told Gen Eric Smith had to do two jobs, work 18 he days due to Tuberville military holds; says Marine Commandant job no different than his was as coach, insulting Marines who make life and death decisions everyday.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) November 3, 2023
Griffin is known for her very level-headed reporting from the Pentagon and on several national security issues, and it’s rare that she speaks out on social media. But when she does, it’s pretty striking.
