McConnell Responds to Tuberville’s Initial Failure to Denounce White Supremacy: ‘Simply Unacceptable in the Military and in Our Whole Country’

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) did not mince words when asked about Sen. Tommy Tuberville‘s (R-AL) continued flip-flopping on the issue of White supremacy.

CNN’s Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju told McConnell Tuesday, “Sen. Tuberville seems to have a hard time denouncing White nationalism, especially as it pertains to White nationalism in the military.”

“White supremacy is simply unacceptable in the military and in our whole country,” McConnell said definitively.

Raju said he spoke to McConnell before Tuberville apparently reversed course Tuesday and was “now saying that White nationalism is racism.”

“This after [Tuberville] danced around that issue last night in an interview with Kaitlan Collins, who was asking him to clarify previous comments he made not going as far as denouncing White nationalism in the military,” Raju said. “But just moments ago, asked by reporters about his past comments, saying, ‘White nationalists are racists.’ That is his verbatim comment.”

During an interview on CNN’s The Source Monday night, Collins asked Tuberville what he meant when he said during a radio interview in May that he calls White supremacists in the military, simply, “Americans.”

“Do you want to explain those comments, Senator?” Collins asked.

“Yeah, first of all, I’m totally against any type of racism, OK? I was a football coach for 40 years. And I dealt and had opportunity to be around more minorities than anybody up here on this Hill,” Tuberville said Monday.

As the interview progressed, however, Tuberville’s stance became more and more nebulous.

TUBERVILLE: So if you’re gonna do away with most White people in this country out of the military, we got huge problems.

COLLINS: It’s not people who are White. It is White nationalists. You see the distinction, right?

TUBERVILLE: That have different beliefs. Now, if racism is one of those beliefs, I’m totally against it. I’m totally against racism.

COLLINS: But that is a White nationalist. A White nationalist is racist, Senator.

TUBERVILLE: Well, that’s your opinion. That’s your opinion.

COLLINS: It’s not an opinion.

TUBERVILLE: If it’s racism, I am totally against it. I am totally against any type of racism. I don’t care what it’s in.

Watch the CNN clip above.