“Dangerous and Contemptible”: Capitol Police Probe Ex-CIA Boss Hayden Over Violent Tuberville Tweet

William FurneyDec 1, 2023

Minute Read

Capitol Police have launched an investigation into former CIA director Michael Hayden over remarks he made suggesting Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville be killed.

Offensive Tweet

Responding to a tweet by Democrat Nathalie Jacoby asking if Senator Tuberville, a Republican, should be removed from a committee over a halt on military promotions, the ex-CIA boss said “How about the human race?”

Filed Police Report

The Alabama senator reported Hayden, a retired Air Force general, to the Capitol Police for what he called a “politically motivated assassination.”

‘Disgusting Statement’

Tuberville said in a statement that Hayden’s commitment on X was “disgusting and it is repugnant to everything we believe in as Americans.”

‘Committing Serious Crime’

The senator continued: “Given General Hayden’s long career in Washington, he must have known that, by making such a statement, he was committing a serious crime. His own efforts today to reinterpret what he said are only a tacit admission of guilt.”

‘Nothing to See Here’

There was a mixed reaction online to Hayden’s post on X (the new name for Twitter). One person said: “Nothing to see here. Just the former head of CIA suggesting Tuberville to be executed cause he doesn’t agree with him.”

‘Inciting Violence’

Another X user said: “Hey FBI, Michael Hayden is inciting violence against a US Senator.”

‘Not a Harmful Tweet’

Editorial credit: Benjamin Clapp / Shutterstock.

And someone else on X chimed in: “General Hayden is mocking Trump’s method of always making ambiguous statements. He definitely did not say kill.”

Protecting Members of Congress

Tuberville also said in his statement that he hoped the Capitol Police would take his complaint seriously. “I expect that they will once again do an excellent job protecting members of Congress and bringing criminals to justice,” he said.

Hayden ‘Shock’ at Reporting

But Hayden, who was also a director of the National Security Agency and has well over half a million followers on X (345,000), expressed shock at being reported to the Capitol Police.

‘MAGAnuts’ Criticism

Image Credit: George Sheldon/Shutterstock.

Hayden said on X, referring to former president Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again campaign slogan: “I was surprised to wake up this morning and discover that many MAGAnuts had lost their minds over my suggestion that ‘Coach’ Tuberville not be considered a member of the human race.”

Standing By Comments

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.

The ex-CIA chief said: “I stand by that view. I’m wishing you all a nice day, even the intransigent Tommy Tuberville.”

‘Dangerous Republicans’

Hayden is not a fan of the Republican Party, and has previously agreed with a tweet that said they GOP members are “dangerous and contemptible.”

‘Violent Ideologies’

Journalist Edward Luce tweeted in August: “I’ve covered extremism and violent ideologies around the world over my career. Have never come across a political force more nihilistic, dangerous & contemptible than today’s Republicans. Nothing close.”

Hayden Agreement

Hayden responded to Luce’s comment by saying: “I agree. And I was the CIA Director.”

RNC Criticism

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The Republican National Committee (RNC) hit out at Hayden’s categorization of Republicans as dangerous, saying his language was “dangerous.”

‘Call Out the Left’

RNC spokesperson Emma Vaughn said: “A former CIA director is labeling half of Americans as worse than ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Dangerous rhetoric from the left led to an assassination attempt on a US Supreme Court Justice, a shooting at a Congressional baseball practice, Molotov cocktails at pregnancy centers, rampant crime in major cities, and an open border. Call out the left on their threatening hyperbole, then we will talk.”

Tuberville Military Row

Senator Tuberville has faced criticism for suspending military promotions earlier this year over travel expenses that the Pentagon pays service members and their dependents who need to go to other states to get an abortion.

Hundreds of Service Members Affected

It’s believed around 300 military promotions are currently on hold because of the row, although individual promotions are still going ahead via Senate votes, but take more time. Critics, including Hayden, said the block on promotions would hurt morale.

Hayden’s ‘Reckless Statements’

After filing his police report against Hayden, Turberville said: “I am not a politician, and when I came to Washington, I did not expect to be popular among the clown show. But I certainly did not expect to be lied about on the Senate floor and threatened by former government officials like Michael Hayden. Anyone who actually cares about our country must go on the record and condemn his reckless statements.”

Many Clashes

The two men have repeatedly clashed in recent times, with Hayden branding the senator an “idiot” following Tuberville’s grilling of an intelligence official over American support for Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia.