U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he has requested a meeting with the head of the U.S. Marine Corps after a branch of the Corps tweeted insults about Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
“Under Biden, the military is launching a political attack to intimidate Tucker Carlson and other civilians who criticize its policies,” Cruz tweeted, adding that “officers in uniform are being used for campaign activities. I have requested a meeting with the Commander of the U.S. Marine Corps to stop this behavior.”
Over the weekend, the Twitter account for a unit of the U.S. Marine Corps – the II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group -said in response to Carlson that it “screwed up” by making comments after the Fox host said the military should be more concerned about adversaries like China than social issues.
“We’re human, and we screwed up. The intent of this tweet was to support our female members of the Marine Corps and our sisters who serve in uniform, which is clearly not our standard practice and not an appropriate representation of the Marine Corps. We will do better and serve the people.” The Marine Corps unit added.
The controversy stems from Tucker Carlson’s criticism of President Biden on his show for making the advancement of women in the military one of the top priorities of the U.S. military.
A few days ago, during an International Women’s Day event at the White House, Biden said military leaders have realized that “there is much, much more work to be done to make sure that women are recognized for their leadership and that we have more diverse leaders” and “that all women feel safe and respected in our military “
Biden said, “Some of that is relatively straightforward work, and we’ve made good progress in designing body armor that fits women, tailoring combat uniforms for women, making maternity flight suits, updating requirements for their hairstyles and so on.”
Carlson told the audience on the show, “So we have new hairstyles and maternity flight suits, and pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the U.S. military.”
“As China’s military becomes more masculine and builds the largest navy in the world, as Joe Biden said, our military needs to become more feminine.” He said, “Whatever feminization means, the men and women (distinction) no longer exists.”
Since then, many U.S. military generals have launched fierce criticism of Carlson.
Cruz, however, noted several seemingly unusual statements from the military. They include a statement from Scott H. Stalker, senior chief of staff for Space Command and a former Marine Corps gunnery sergeant. In his video, wearing his uniform, he criticized Carlson for “not serving a day in the Army.
Army Master Chief Petty Officer Michael A. Grinston also criticized the Fox host. Retired Navy Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Defense Department spokesman, wrote a statement criticizing Carlson for “denigrating the diversity of the U.S. military.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Cruz wrote that the Pentagon “has engaged in a systematic and public attack on television host Tucker Carlson that is incredibly inappropriate in its substance, tone and political resonance. “Cruz expressed “deep concern” about this.
Cruz wrote: “Not only has there been no public discussion between American citizens and their elected leaders, but U.S. military generals have launched multiple attacks on Carlson over the past week,” including through official Department of Defense platforms and by using social media to respond in uniform.
Cruz then said this “spectacle” could undermine longstanding efforts to keep the military neutral, politicize the military, and allow “the military to take sides in controversial cultural disputes, thereby undermining civil-military relations. He added that such behavior is more likely to occur in a “third world country” than in today’s United States.
Last week, Carlson said on his popular nightly show that the Pentagon has effectively “declared war on domestic news organizations.
At the same Time, Carlson stepped up his criticism of the military’s focus on identity politics. He pointed to Biden’s recent announcement that the Pentagon will pay for gender reassignment surgery for active duty personnel.
“How does a gender change in the military make this country safer?” Carlson questioned.
“No one probably remembers why the U.S. military exists. Here’s a reminder that the U.S. military exists to win wars, and that’s its sole purpose.” Carlson said, “The U.S. military is not a non-governmental organization. It is not a vehicle for achieving ‘fairness.’ It is not a social experiment. It is definitely not an institution that helps with jobs…It’s good to make people feel valued and included, but that’s not the focus of the U.S. military, and it can’t be the focus of the U.S. military, or the military function is over.”
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