In a rare reprimand, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on Thursday condemned Fox News host Tucker Carlson for his sexist comments on women in the military.
Send the news: In one segment, Carlson said President Biden’s recognition that changing policy to encourage more women to join the military is a mockery of the US military.
What they say: Kirby, as well as a growing number of military leaders and veteran groups, have called out the Fox News host for the sexist segment.
- “I want to be very clear from the outset that the diversity of our military is one of our biggest strengths,” Kirby said.
- “I have seen it myself for many months at sea and in the battles fought by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I only saw it on Capitol Hill last month. And I see it every day here at the Pentagon. ‘
- “What we absolutely will not do is seek staff advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military. Maybe people feel they have something to prove. It depends on them. ‘
The whole picture: The US Army responded on Twitter with a series of photos of female troops along with the phrase “I’m an American soldier.”
- Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, the senior commander of the U.S. Space Command, said in a video on Twitter that Carlson’s opinion is “based on actual zero days of service in the military.”
The other side: Carlson accuses DoD of ‘attacking’ on his show like ‘we are a hostile foreign power’ in tweet Thursday.