Former CIA Director Michael Hayden made a controversial statement on Monday, suggesting that Senator Tommy Tuberville should be excluded from the “human race” due to his opposition to military confirmations. This surprising comment was prompted by a query from a user on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), who inquired whether Tuberville (R-Ala.) should be removed from his committee.
When asked about removing Tuberville from his committee, Hayden’s response was, “How about the human race?”
Some individuals on social media accused the former CIA official of advocating for Tuberville’s “assassination.”
Mollie Hemingway, editor in chief of the Federalist, expressed her disapproval on Twitter, stating, “Former CIA Director Michael Hayden calls for the assassination of Sen. Tuberville because the senator is performing desperately needed oversight of the U.S. Military.” Meanwhile, Logan Dobson, vice president of GOP strategy firm Targeted Victory, tweeted, “Them: The media and the deep state are not out to get Republicans, that’s a conspiracy theory. CNN National Security Analyst And Former Head Of The CIA Michael Hayden: Tommy Tuberville should be assassinated.”
Senator Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has been obstructing the quick and mass approval of numerous military officer nominations for critical leadership positions for months. His objection is in protest of a Pentagon policy that funds troops’ out-of-state travel for reproductive services, including abortion and in-vitro fertilization.
Tuberville’s blockade has prevented the Senate Armed Services Committee from promptly approving nominations through unanimous votes, leading Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to forward some promotions to the full Senate floor for voting. A spokesperson for Tuberville confirmed that he intends to maintain his blockade, even in the face of the recent deadly attack by Hamas on Israel.
Hayden, a retired Air Force general who also served as the director of the National Security Agency from 1999 to 2006, overseeing the agency’s domestic mass surveillance program, has criticized Tuberville in the past over his stance on military promotions.
In May 2022, Hayden tweeted, “Tommy Tuberville is an idiot!” in response to a video of Senator Tuberville questioning Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines about the U.S.’s involvement in Ukraine’s efforts to resist Russia’s invasion. In another tweet last month, Hayden labeled Tuberville as a racist, responding to a user’s question about whether it was appropriate to call Senator Tuberville a racist.
Hayden was among a group of retired military and State Department officials who signed an open letter in August denouncing Tuberville’s “reckless” protest, which they believed jeopardized military planning, preparedness, and national security.
The open letter stated, “Risking our military’s planning and preparedness, and our national security to make a political point is far out of bounds. The world is too dangerous to cede our leadership, which is why we urge Senator Tuberville to swiftly end his blockade and respect our nation’s service members and their families.”
Hayden was also one of 51 former intelligence officials who attempted to discredit The Post’s 2022 report on Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop. They falsely claimed, in an open letter, that the emails of the first son were Russian disinformation.
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SOURCE
https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ex-cia-chief-accused-of-calling-for-sen-tommy-tubervilles-assassination/