Sen. Ted Cruz is accusing the U.S. military of engaging in a partisan-political campaign and is demanding that the armed services stand down.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the Texas Republican told the Pentagon chief he is “deeply troubled” by a cascading series of attacks on Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson by uniformed military members using official channels.
The attacks on Mr. Carlson for criticizing the U.S. military under President Biden as obsessed with sex, gender and other “woke” issues, Mr. Cruz said, “in substance, tone, and political resonance are inexplicably inappropriate.”
In a post to Twitter accompanying images of the two-page letter, Mr. Cruz claimed political motivations for the attacks.
“Under Biden, the military is launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions. Officials in uniform are being used for the campaign,” Mr. Cruz posted to Twitter along with images of the two-page letter.
Under Biden, the military is launching political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 14, 2021
Officials in uniform are being used for the campaign.
I’ve demanded a meeting with the Commandant of the USMC to put a stop to it. pic.twitter.com/Ihl8xRJr0S
One of the matters at issue, Mr. Cruz said, is the principle of civilian mastery over the armed services.
The letter notes that “multiple military leaders have tweeted video of themselves, while in uniform, as they attack Carlson, including the Common Senior Enlisted Leader of the U.S. Space Command, the Sgt. Major of the Army, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, and the commanding officer of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Information Group (IG).
“Throughout this campaign, military leaders have suggested and insinuated that it is out of bounds for civilians to criticize the military unless they’ve served,” an argument that Mr. Cruz said “risks politicizing the military,” is the stuff of third-world countries, and “has alternated between being ostentatiously childish and simply outrageous.”
In the letter, Mr. Cruz demands a meeting with the Commandant of the Marine Corps, in which, he said on Twitter, he will demand that the military “put a stop to” the campaign against Mr. Carlson.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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