‘The Most Abjectly Racist Statement I Have Heard From a U.S. Senator In My Life’: Tapper Reacts to Resurfaced Tuberville Comment

Jake Tapper reacted to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) recent head-scratching comments about White nationalism – as well as a forgotten one he made last year.

On Monday, Tapper’s CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins interviewed the college football coach-turned-U.S. senator on The Source. Tuberville appeared to be unaware that White nationalists believe White people are superior to members of other races:

COLLINS: A White nationalist is racist, Senator.

TUBERVILLE: Well, that’s your opinion. That’s your opinion.

COLLINS: It’s not an opinion.

TUBERVILLE: If it’s racism, I am totally against it. I am totally against any type of racism. I don’t care what it’s in.

On Tuesday he was asked, “Do you believe that White nationalists are racists?”

“Yes,” he said. “If that’s what a racist is, yes.”

Tapper reacted to Tuberville’s comments.

“Just for those who are out there wondering, White nationalism is racism,” he said. “It is the belief that Whites are superior to other races. That’s what it means. That’s the definition.”

He then reported, “But after that, Senator Tuberville finally told our Manu Raju – off-camera – that White supremacists are racists.”

CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson accused the senator of attempting to bring White nationalism into the mainstream.

“So, what I think Tommy Tuberville is up to is sort of trying to mainstream White nationalist ideology, mainstream the term ‘White nationalism,'” she said. “So in that interview, it’s sort of confusing ’cause on the one hand, he says, ‘Listen, racism is bad. White nationalism – if you want to call it that – that’s not great.’ But I think that’s what he’s up to.”

Tapper then played a clip of Tuberville speaking at a rally in October.

“Some people say, ‘Well, they’re soft on crime,'” Tuberville told the crowd. “No, they’re not soft on crime. They’re pro-crime. They want crime! They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have. They want reparation because they think the people that do the crime are owed that. Bullshit! They are not owed that!”

Tapper then told Kaitlan Collins:

So, just to be pretty clear here, Senator Tuberville – in addition to falsely saying Democrats want crime, that’s a quote: “They want crime, they want reparations” – that is the discussion about whether the descendants of slaves should be paid reparations. They want reparations because they think the people that do the crime are owed that.

That is, Kaitlan, the most abjectly racist statement I have heard from a U.S. Senator in my life.

Collins relayed a story about Tuberville’s days as the football coach at the University of Mississippi, where he said fans waving the Confederate flag at football games hurt recruitment of Black players.

“It’s just an interesting evolution of those comments and where he is now,” Collins said. “And of course, what he said last fall as well.”

Watch above via CNN.