In a rare rebuke on Thursday, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby condemned Fox News presenter Tucker Carlson for his sexist comments about women in the military.
Driving the news: In one segment, Carlson said that President Biden’s acknowledgment that policies are changing to encourage more women to join and remain in the armed forces was “a mockery for the US military”.
What they are saying: Kirby, as well as a growing number of military leaders and veteran groups, called on the Fox News presenter for the sexist segment.
- “I want to make it very clear that the diversity of our Armed Forces is one of our greatest strengths,” said Kirby.
- “I saw it myself in long months at sea and in the combat waged by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I saw it on Capitol Hill last month. And I see it every day here at the Pentagon.”
- “What we are absolutely not going to do is take personal advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military. Perhaps these people feel they have something to prove.
The big picture: The US Army responded on Twitter ordinary series of photos of female troops along with the phrase “I am an American soldier”.
- Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, the enlisted leader of the US Space Command, said in a video on Twitter that Carlson’s opinion “is based on zero days of service in the armed forces”.
The other side: Carlson accused the DoD of “attacking” its program as “we are a hostile foreign power” in tweet Thursday.