Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has come under fire recently even from members of his own party due to his holding up of numerous military promotions and leaving key personnel vacancies as part of his move to protest the Pentagon’s abortion policies.
But despite the criticism, Tuberville’s priorities remain steadfastly more about fighting the culture wars at home, often choosing President Joe Biden as his chief antagonist, than about America’s readiness to fight wars against U.S. enemies abroad, where such military absences could prove perilous.
Some say he’s not fighting fair. The White House is currently fighting back against a “vile lie” that some on the far right — including Tuberville — are circulating about Biden. Tuberville shared a video posted by Sean Hannity in which the Fox News host asserts that Biden is falling asleep at an event in Maui in the aftermath of the devastating and fatal wildfires there.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton writes: “This is a vile lie that has been fact checked. Those spreading it should be ashamed. The President listened to the powerful stories he heard yesterday, and after he spoke, he & the First Lady stayed to meet everyone in the audience individually for 80 minutes. That’s who he is.”
(Biden is said to have bowed his head during a contemplative moment, which his critics translated to their viewers as the President nodding off.)
This is a vile lie that has been fact checked. Those spreading it should be ashamed.
— Olivia Dalton (@ODalton46) August 22, 2023
The President listened to the powerful stories he heard yesterday, and after he spoke, he & the First Lady stayed to meet everyone in the audience individually for 80 minutes. That’s who he is. https://t.co/BYYnQ8Ufmz
Neither Hannity nor Tuberville were in Maui and in defense of Biden, Dalton shared the video below of a local news interview with a Maui resident who testifies to Biden’s attentiveness during his visit, and the positive effect it had on the residents.
A Maui resident, Lisa, on @POTUS:
— Haris Talwar (@HarisTalwar46) August 22, 2023
"He was so present with so many… he spoke with hundreds of people, and hugged them, and kissed their cheek, and heard what we all had to say."
"There haven’t been that many smiles in one place on this island, and it was profoundly touching." pic.twitter.com/Z2794WO7wA
The Maui resident, identified merely as Lisa, testified to the emergence of smiles in a crowd for whom smiles had become foreign. The White House shared photos which appeared to show the scene as she described.
On Maui, President Biden and the First Lady met with emergency responders, survivors, community members, and Native Hawaiian leaders to reaffirm that our entire nation stands with Hawaiʻi in this time of grief and recovery. pic.twitter.com/v6Ct8CicxN
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 22, 2023
