Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Senator: Democrats are ‘pro-crime’
Alabama’s Tuberville, GOP silent as weekend comments draw criticism
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., falsely claimed that Democrats are “pro-crime” and only support reparations for Black people whose ancestors were enslaved because those who “do the crime” are owed — a remark that has generated accusations of racism and criticism for dishonesty.
While speaking at a rally in Minden, Nev., on Saturday headlined by former President Donald Trump, the senator and former football coach dismissed the oft-repeated Republican claim that Democrats were “soft on crime” and made the statement that Democrats are “pro-crime.” Tuberville and Trump were campaigning for the state’s GOP candidates ahead of the November midterm elections.
“They’re pro-crime,” Tuberville said. “They want 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.” He added a profanity.
Although a handful of Democrats in Congress have expressed support for reparations for Black Americans who descended from people enslaved in the U.S., the Democratic Party as a whole does not support the idea. House Democrats have backed a bill that would create a commission to study reparations, but there has not been enough support in the Senate from Democrats or Republicans for the legislation. As a result, some prominent Democrats have encouraged President Joe Biden to sign an executive order that would create the commission.
While Biden has not signed an executive order, he backed plans to study reparations while campaigning for president in 2020, a position he has maintained since he took over the presidency.
Tuberville and Republicans contacted by The Washington Post remained silent about the comments Monday, but Democrats and liberals criticized the senator for his false characterization of the Democratic Party’s position on reparations by seeming to use Black Americans and criminals synonymously.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., the former president and CEO of the NAACP, said Sunday that Tuberville’s comments could spur violence against Black people.
“His comments are the most vicious, vile, repugnant, parochial, racist thing I’ve heard in a long, long time,” he said on MSNBC. “People take that — the sick ones — and they figure that they have to do something to extend the senator’s philosophy.
“I would hope that every elected official on both sides of the aisle condemns that,” the lawmaker added. “He is a bigot. And until he says something different, he will always be seen as a bigot.”
Bakari Sellers, an activist and civil rights attorney, said Sunday that Tuberville’s wealth was built on the physical labor of Black young men while working as Auburn University’s head football coach from 1999 to 2008.
“Tommy Tuberville can go to hell, and let me tell you why,” Sellers said on CNN. “The fact is, he made tens of millions of dollars off unpaid Black men as a football coach.
“He literally has the stature he has because people went out there and assumed the risk and incurred the risk of concussions, playing hard and everything,” he added.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned Tuberville’s comments and highlighted criminal activity by some Trump supporters. More than 900 people protesting the results of the 2020 presidential election have been charged with crimes linked to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“Senator Tuberville’s comments are flat-out racist, ignorant and utterly sickening,” Johnson said in a statement. “His words promote a centuries-old lie about Black people that throughout history has resulted in the most dangerous policies and violent attacks on our community. We’ve seen this before from the far-right, and we’ve seen what they can do when they take power.”
“Next time the senator wants to talk about crime, he should talk about Donald Trump’s hate-fueled rally on January 6, 2021. Perhaps the real criminals are in his orbit,” he added.
The campaign committees for the two parties had no immediate comment Monday.