On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer did what he could’ve done several months ago: allow an individual vote on the confirmation of Gen. Charles Brown to be the new chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. However, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s hold on groups of nominees remains, which did not sit well with MSNBC The 11th Hour who angrily denounced him for calling the Pentagon’s abortion policy as “illegal.”
Ruhle played a clip of Tuberville on the Senate floor declaring, “So, to be clear, my hold is still in place. The hold will remain in place as long as the Pentagon's illegal abortion policy remains in place. If the Pentagon lifts the policy, then I will lift my hold. It's as easy as that.”
An angry Ruhle replied, “Oh, "easy is that"? Well, how about the truth? For facts’ sake, the Pentagon policy is to pay for the travel of service members who are stationed where abortion isn’t legal, so they can get the care that they need where it is.”
That alleged fact-check doesn’t disprove Tuberville’s claims because the Hyde Amendment still exists and paying for abortion versus paying for abortion travel is not really a distinction.
Slouching back in her chair, she turned to former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent and wondered, “Charlie, how long can this keep going?”
Apparently Ruhle’s idea of definition of a diverse panel is having a pro-abortion Democrat and Tuberville’s predecessor and a pro-abortion Republican in Dent. For his part, Dent claimed, “Well, I don't know how long this is going to persist. But it's shameful that it is going on at all. I mean, I think the right approach is Republican senators to really beat on Senator Tuberville.”
Dent also declared that Tuberville, not the political appointees at the Pentagon, are the ones jeopardizing the military:
What Tuberville is doing -- he's really impacting readiness. He's impacting recruitment. He’s impacting retention, in negative ways. He’s really putting our national security at risk and it's going to be incumbent upon Republicans to deal with recalcitrant members, both in the Senate, and in this case, Tuberville, and in the House, those who are trying to shut down the government, who represent a minority of the view of the Republican Party in both the House in the Senate, but these folks have outsized influence and they're causing enormous damage to the country, as well as to the party.
Actually, it is Dent and his pro-abortion politics that represent a minority view in the party.
Here is a transcript for the September 21 show:
MSNBC The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
9/19/2023
11:23 PM ET
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Well, let's take a look at what Tuberville had to say earlier.
TOMMY TUBERVILLE: So, to be clear, my hold is still in place. The hold will remain in place as long as the Pentagon's illegal abortion policy remains in place. If the Pentagon lifts the policy, then I will lift my hold. It's as easy as that.
RUHLE: Oh, "easy is that"? Well, how about the truth? For facts’ sake, the Pentagon policy is to pay for the travel of service members who are stationed where abortion isn’t legal, so they can get the care that they need where it is. Charlie, how long can this keep going?
CHARLIE DENT: Well, I don't know how long this is going to persist. But it's shameful that it is going on at all. I mean, I think the right approach is Republican senators to really beat on Senator Tuberville. They’re going to have to pressure him out of this position. I mean, any senator could place a hold on nominees for virtually any reason and what Tuberville is doing -- he's really impacting readiness. He's impacting recruitment. He’s impacting retention, in negative ways. He’s really putting our national security at risk and it's going to be incumbent upon Republicans to deal with recalcitrant members, both in the Senate, and in this case, Tuberville, and in the House, those who are trying to shut down the government, who represent a minority of the view of the Republican Party in both the House in the Senate, but these folks have outsized influence and they're causing enormous damage to the country, as well as to the party.
