'Weird switch': Ex-GOP lawmaker says Tuberville stunt shows Republicans no longer pro-military

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Friday that Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) political stunt that’s halted military promotions has flipped conventional assumptions about which political party more strongly supports the military.

Kinzinger during an appearance on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” said he believes that Democrats are now the more “hawkish” party.

Kinzinger’s comments followed Collins asking him “did you ever think that the defense secretary would have to issue new guidance on how Pentagon leadership is going to work because of a member of your party?”

“No, and I'll tell you what I never expected is that basically the Democrats would be the pro-military party, and that they would almost be the more hawkish party than Republicans are and that's what's happened, it's been this weird switch,” Kinzinger said.

“And for Tommy, the senator, I'll call him I guess respectively to do this is really damaging the military, not just in terms of the promotions, but it's politicizing the last bastion of government that shouldn't be politicized.”

Kinzinger lamented the politicization of the armed forces.

“We've already politicized the Supreme Court. We politicize obviously, Congress, the presidency, the FBI now. Everything is politicized, except the military, and…people like him, people like (Sen.) Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) that go out and they tweet these ads about how great the Russian army is because they have like these manly ads. The Russian army is getting crushed on the battlefield,” Kinzinger said.

“I have disagreements with some of the things that Pentagon does. I spend a lot of my time in the military doing computer-based training that I don't need to. That doesn't mean we're not the most lethal force. And that doesn't mean we play politics with a political issue simply because it's going to give you attention.”

Watch the video below or click here.

CNN 08 04 2023 21 41 52www.youtube.com