Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. has formally addressed the accusations of him being "racist" or "divisive," following recent remarks at a political rally in Nevada.
"The issue is crime, not race, but the liberal media is intent on helping Democrats remain in power," Tuberville said through a spokesperson on Monday. "Crime has spiked nationwide under Democrats and their 'Defund the Police' policies, and I was pointing out the frustration many Americans share when I spoke last weekend."
The remarks that apparently angered the NAACP, civil rights groups, and White House officials:
Tuberville said the Democrats were not just soft on crime, "they're pro-crime. ... They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have. They want reparations because they think the people that do the crime are owed that. They're not owed that."
Shortly after Tuberville's comments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "The president used to say, and I'll quote the president right now: 'Hate never goes away, it only hides, but lately, it's just out in the open at these extreme MAGA rallies.'"
As Newsmax chronicled last month, President Joe Biden delivered a fiery speech in Philadelphia — replete with an ominous red background — that seemingly painted all America First Republicans as hateful and dangerous to society.
''I think President Biden owes every patriot American out there that's from a red state that voted for President Trump an apology, and he should do it now,'' Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told ''Rob Schmitt Tonight.''
''The guy ran on unity, and here he is dividing the country by calling us the biggest threat,'' Mullin continued then.
Tuberville offered the following retort to the White House's latest response:
"Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and rioters have caused over $2 billion in damage to our cities since 2020.
"Illegal immigrants and drugs are streaming cross our southern border in record numbers. Progressive prosecutors across the nation refuse to enforce laws they personally disagree with, and our communities are suffering because of it. Even Alabama Democrats want to satisfy the outrageous demands of murderers and rapists currently on work-strike in state prisons.
"Democrats favor criminals over the victims through their actions and policies," added Tuberville. "As a coach, building young people of character was one of my top priorities. As a senator, I want to ensure that we create policies at the national level that reinforce values such as integrity and accountability. I will continue to fight for safer communities and accountability for criminals. Americans should not live in fear."
According to FBI crime data (covering 2020 and 2021), robbery and property crime rates dropped 8.9% and 4.5% respectively.
However, the frequency of murders increased by 4.3%.
And overall, the FBI reported a 1.7% drop in total violent crime nationwide.
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