Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro accused Republican senator Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) of “aiding and abetting communists” and “autocratic regimes” with his monthslong hold on key military promotions.
“For someone who was born in a communist country, I would have never imagined that actually one of our own senators would actually be aiding and abetting communists and other autocratic regimes around the world,” Del Toro, a Cuban-born American told CNN. “This is having a real negative impact and will continue to have a real negative impact on our combat readiness.”
Tuberville has blocked all senior military promotions for eight months to protest the Department of Defense’s policy to reimburse military service members who are forced to travel out of state to receive abortion care.
“What Sen. Tuberville is doing, is doing significant damage to our national security,” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall said in the CNN interview.
The interview came after Del Toro, Kendall and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post calling on Tuberville to end his blockage.
But despite the criticism, sometimes even from within his own party, Tuberville does not appear to be backing down.
