Pentagon hits back at Tuberville for blocking Austin aide's promotion
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Sen. Tommy Tuberville at the U.S. Capitol in July. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The Pentagon is urging the Senate to confirm Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark to a top Army role after Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) announced he's blocking the nomination over concerns about details surrounding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's hospitalization.
Why it matters: Tuberville's decision stalls in the Senate the promotion of Austin's senior military assistant Clark as the four-star commander of U.S. Army Pacific force just weeks out from the presidential elections, per the Washington Post, which first reported the news.
- It also brings back to the fore an issue that triggered outrage from lawmakers in both parties: the initial secrecy that surrounded Austin's hospitalization in January for complications from prostate cancer surgery.
- And it serves as a reminder of Tuberville's months-long, one-man Senate blockade of military promotions over a Defense Department policy on abortion-related expenses.
Context: Austin, who faced calls from some Congress members to resign, said he took full responsibility for the initial secrecy surrounding his hospital stay and that a "wider circle should have been notified, especially" President Biden, who called the experience a lapse in judgment.
The latest: A Defense official said at a Pentagon briefing Tuesday that Clark is a "highly qualified senior officer" and "exactly the kind of leader" that the U.S. needed.
- "The implication from the Senator, calling into question the oath of a soldier who has honorably served his country as a senior leader for more than three decades, is completely inappropriate," another Defense official said.
- However, Tuberville said on Newsmax Tuesday that he would not lift his hold until there had been a full review of the matter.
Driving the news: "Sen. Tuberville has concerns about Lt. Gen. Clark's actions during Secretary Austin's hospitalization," Tuberville's spokesperson Mallory Jaspers said in an emailed statement on Monday night.
- "Lt. Gen. Clark knew that Sec. Austin was incapacitated and did not tell the Commander in Chief," Jaspers alleged.
- "As a senior commissioned officer, Lt. Gen. Clark's oath requires him to notify POTUS when the chain of command is compromised," Jaspers said. Sen. Tuberville is waiting to see the forthcoming IG report, per Jaspers.
The other side: Pentagon spokesperson James Adams said in a statement shared with outlets including Axios that Clark "is highly qualified" and pointed to his recent leadership roles in military conflicts and his leading of U.S. troops in the Pacific.
- Adams said Clark was "nominated for this critical position because of his experience and strategic expertise."
- He added, "We urge the Senate to confirm all of our qualified nominees. These holds undermine our military readiness."
Flashback: Senate confirms final military promotions after Tuberville's blockade
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional statements.
